Freeze-frames of growing excitement

Even without the chills, there are more than enough thrills and spills in winter sports to captivate China's warm south as the nation's annual mass ice and snow carnival expands its reach.

With the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics looming, interest in winter sports has broken climatic and geographical boundaries in the world's most populous nation.

The festivities are helping push that expansion to untapped markets with Thursday's launch in Shanghai of a four-month campaign that will feature promotional events and amateur competitions.