THE WINTER GLOW GROWS

With the imminent arrival of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the Chinese public is taking to the ice and snow like never before.

Contributing to the grassroots boom is the 8th National Public Ice and Snow Season, which began in December and will continue throughout the Winter Olympics and Paralympics until April.

Hubei province was the focus of the opening day's activities, with a winter sports carnival staged at Wuhan Mass Fitness Center, and an ice and snow arts festival taking place at Optics Valley International Tennis Center, also in Wuhan.

Among the participants was local Tao Lingzhe, who, as the proud father of a budding young ice hockey player, has witnessed how winter sports are benefitting communities.

"When my son first started to practice ice hockey, the number of ice rinks in Wuhan was so limited, and many of them were not very professional," Tao told Beijing News.

"But now the development has really taken off, and more and more kids are enjoying ice hockey and other winter sports."

Former Team China figure skating coach Fu Dong is also enthused to see winter sports capturing the imaginations of young people.

"Now I just want to pass my skills and knowledge to the next generation. That's my small contribution to our nation's Winter Olympic sports growth," said Fu.

"Right now some of the children I coach are very talented. And now they also enjoy huge support from their parents."

Meanwhile, in Hubei's Enshi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture, and Shennongjia Forestry District, fun activities like snow dragon boat racing and tug-of-war on snow have been big hits with the locals.

Shennongjia is also reaping the economic benefits. Hongping county, for instance, now has 153 so-called agri-tainment farmyards, which attract tourists and ice and snow sports enthusiasts. As well as providing jobs, revenue from these businesses totaled 86 million yuan ($13 million) in 2020.

"The number of tourists who come here each winter is growing. Annually, I can earn about 200,000 yuan. Thanks to winter sports, Hongping county now has good development," said Zhang Erkui, an owner of one of the farmyards.

Hubei is planning more winter sports activities over the coming months, including a national youth ice hockey tournament and a curling invitational event. Other parts of China are also getting in on the act－with the likes of Beijing, Ningxia Hui autonomous region and Gansu province all boasting fun-packed schedules to entice people onto the ice and snow.