Heilongjiang a hotbed of Olympic excitement

HARBIN－Even the arrival of spring can't thaw China's growing enthusiasm for winter sports as Heilongjiang province hosts a fresh wave of warm-up events for Beijing 2022.

A 10-day ice sports test program for the Winter Olympics started in Beijing on Thursday, and over the last month Heilongjiang has hosted six national winter sports events that had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of those events was the China Alpine Skiing Championships, where staff at Yabuli Ski Resort had an early start each day.

"To ensure that the snow quality on the track met the specific competition requirements, staff headed out on the slopes at 4 am every morning, and arranged the track at 5 am to ensure that the competition was finished early," said Cui Hongbin, who worked with the championships' competitions department.

Athletes relish the chance to experience the slopes of Yabuli, which is serving as a training camp for some Olympic disciplines.

"I was the first to start and waited for the last athlete to finish before I knew the results. Waiting was painful, but the result was great," skier Wang Jisen said after winning his first individual national title at the championships, for Heilongjiang, on Monday.

Heilongjiang has long been a hotbed of ice and snow sports.

In the 1950s, the province required schools to build ice rinks and develop ice sports. The government also distributed skis to schools in mountainous areas. Winter sports became an important part of physical education classes.

"In the 1980s, dozens of primary schools in Qiqihar established ice hockey teams," said Cui Yiwen, who has been teaching hockey for more than 30 years at Ermalu Primary School in Qiqihar.

In the 1950s, ice sports teams were established throughout Heilongjiang, with teams from Harbin and Qiqihar dominating national hockey competitions over the decades.

Heilongjiang athletes account for nine of China's 13 Winter Olympic gold medals.

There are over 100 ski resorts spread across the province. In addition, Heilongjiang Province National Ice and Snow Activity Day, staged annually on Dec 20 since 2016, encourages facilities to open to the public for free.

According to Chen Zhe, director of the Heilongjiang Provincial Sports Bureau, the activity day has helped over 70 million people participate in winter sports.

Even in spring, people continue to enjoy ice and snow activities. For example, on March 28, a fun cosplay event was held at Yabuli, with more than 100 skiers donning colorful outfits on the slopes.

"The number of tourists in a single day can reach nearly 10,000 at the peak," said Xue Dongyang, Yabuli Sunshine Resort's general manager.

And with the increase in the number of tourists in recent years, skiing has generated many employment opportunities.

When winter comes, 34-year-old Xu Yanbin is very busy as a ski instructor. "I was a farmer and didn't have much work outside farming in the past," said Xu. "I learned skiing when I was a kid and I never expected it to become my profession."

Xinhua