GLOBALink | Skiing enthusiasm turns up winter sports heat in NE China's Liaoning

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2026-01-29 19:41:04

SHENYANG, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Each winter, ski resorts across northeast China come alive for the peak season of winter sports, and Liaoning's capital city Shenyang is no exception.

A child learns skiing at Dongbeiya International Ski in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Dec. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

An aerial drone photo taken on Dec. 10, 2024 shows a hot spring hotel and a ski resort in Benxi, northeast China's Liaoning Province. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

The Baiqingzhai Ski Resort of Shenyang Sport University is a major hub and champion cradle for the development of Chinese freestyle skiing aerials. China's first male Winter Olympic gold medalist and freestyle skier Han Xiaopeng, Beijing Winter Olympics freestyle skiing women's aerials gold medalist Xu Mengtao and men's aerials gold medalist Qi Guangpu were all students of this university.

Xu Mengtao (front) of Shenyang Sport University manages to stick the landing during 2016-2017 national freestyle skiing aerials championship held at Baiqingzhai Ski Resort in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Dec. 30, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

Gao Dali of China competes during the men's qualification of the FIS snowboard cross world cup 2026 at Shenyang Dongbeiya International Ski in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Jan. 16, 2026. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Children line up for photos at Shenyang Sport University, in Shenyang of northeast China's Liaoning Province, on Jan. 24, 2019. There are some 30 children from 8 to 16 years old studying snowboard half pipe in Shenyang Sport University. Some of them want to become professional athletes, and some of them just want to have a taste of this sport. (Xinhua/He Changshan)

Beyond the competitive arena, public participation in winter sports has surged across China since the Beijing Winter Olympics, with more people getting involved. As a traditional northern sports stronghold, Liaoning's commitment to both competitive excellence and the promotion of mass winter sports runs parallel. This winter, numerous tourists has been flocking to ski resorts in Liaoning, either outdoor or indoor, with unprecedented enthusiasm.

Children learn skiing as part of a summer caring program at a primary school in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Aug. 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Yijie)

People enjoy skiing at Guaipo ski resort in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Long Lei)

People enjoy skiing at Guaipo ski resort in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 27, 2016. (Xinhua/Long Lei)

According to a report released last year by China's General Administration of Sport, the country's ice-and-snow economy has experienced leapfrog growth in recent years. The sector's scale expanded from 364.7 billion yuan (about 52 billion U.S. dollars) in 2016 to 980 billion yuan in 2024, with an average annual growth rate exceeding 21 percent.