Nurturing an unlikely hockey hotbed

They are typical of an increasing number of kids in Anhui, with winter sports such as skating, ice hockey and skiing now included in PE courses in many schools across the province.

The threshold to get involved in such sports has been lowered as more winter sports venues open in this temperate region.

Nationwide, over 346 million people, accounting for around 25 percent of the country's population, have participated in winter sports activities since Beijing's successful bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in 2015, according to the latest figures from China's National Bureau of Statistics.

"Winter sports are gaining in popularity in Anhui thanks to the influence of the upcoming Winter Olympics," said Fu. "Maybe some of our ice hockey players will play in the Olympics one day."

Xinhua