Beijing court tackles legal disputes in ice and snow economy

A Beijing court has introduced several judicial measures to support the high-quality development of the ice and snow industries in response to the increasing number of related cases each year.

The Beijing Yanqing District People's Court revealed on Wednesday that it has concluded 47 disputes arising from skiing activities between January 2023 and October 2025. Among these cases, seven were resolved in 2023, 10 in 2024 and 30 in the past 10 months.

"This data indicates a clear upward trend in the number of ice and snow-related cases each year," said Zheng Dongmei, chief judge of the court's first civil division.

Over the past three years, the development of cultural tourism and ice-snow industries has led to innovative business and consumption models, such as joint operations, venue leasing, children's snow parks, ice-snow educational programs, and sports training. Meanwhile, new consumption models like prepaid packages and group buying have also complicated legal relationships between operators and consumers, she added.

As the ice-snow tourism industry rapidly evolves, she said the court is facing multiple challenges in supporting its high-quality development amid these new dynamics and issues.

To address these problems, the Yanqing court has collaborated with judges from Zhangjiakou and Chongli, both in Hebei province, to conduct specialized discussions on significant and common legal issues related to the ice-snow industry, in a move to standardize judicial decisions.

This initiative is intended to strengthen the integration of judicial services within the Beijing-Zhangjiakou sports and cultural tourism corridor, the Yanqing court said, adding that it has also established a dedicated office and quick channel to resolve ice-snow related disputes, providing more efficient legal services to skiing enthusiasts and consumers.

In addition, the court has formed teams to regularly visit key areas such as communities, subdistricts, businesses and ski resorts to conduct legal seminars over 50 times, helping the public enhance their awareness of legal protections.

The court has engaged in exchanges with nine other courts located in provinces known for ski resorts or ice and snow activities, such as those in Jilin and Heilongjiang, as well as with experts from China University of Political Science and Law, to improve the quality of relevant case hearings.

Furthermore, the cooperation between the court and Beijing Sport University has also been intensified, with joint efforts focused on cultivating legal talent knowledgeable in both ice and snow activities.