Beijing Winter Games to Write New Chapter of Peace and Development in Human History

The opening ceremony of the 24th Winter Olympic Games was held at the National Stadium in Beijing on Feb 4. Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the ceremony and declared the Games open.

The 2022 Winter Olympics, held as scheduled by China under the combined impact of profound changes unseen in a century and a once-in-a-century pandemic, bears exceptional significance.

Just as International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said a day prior to the opening ceremony, “We will again make history - together with our Chinese partners and friends.”

China’s pursuit of the Olympic dream always comes with its dream to seek prosperity of the country, the rejuvenation of the nation, and happiness of its people.

More than a century ago, China was still a country wondering when it could send an athlete to participate in an Olympic Games, when it could send a delegation to an Olympic Games, and when would it host an Olympic Games.

Today, its capital Beijing has not only hosted the 2008 Olympic Games, but also become the first city ever to host both summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games.

Beijing officially won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Games at the 128th session of the IOC held on July 31, 2015. At the session, Xi said the Chinese people were looking forward to the opportunity and promised a fantastic, extraordinary and excellent Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.

More than six years have passed, during which the Chinese people have once again illustrated how they have fought for their dreams.

As the Olympic flame was lighted again in Beijing, sending a message of light, unity, friendship, peace and justice, China would join hands with all relevant parties to write a new chapter of peace and development.

The Beijing Winter Olympic Games is a grand event promoting lasting peace.

The Olympic Games, since the day it was firstly hosted, has symbolized the eternal pursuit of peace and friendship.

From the United Nations General Assembly adopting the Beijing Winter Olympic Truce Resolution drafted by China and co-sponsored by 173 member states, to the "Sport for Peace" stamps issued by the UN Postal Administration, the first time for the organization to release stamps for the Winter Games, and to the voices supporting truce during the Beijing Winter Games, promoting lasting peace in the world has always been a theme of the Beijing Winter Games.

When the world finds itself in a new period of turbulence and transformation, the Beijing Winter Games, using the common language of sports, will boost confidence in resolving disputes, defeating COVID-19 and achieving economic recovery. It will also offer a perfect stage for building a community with a shared future for mankind.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres holds similar views. He said earlier that the Beijing Winter Games must be an instrument for peace in the world.

The Beijing Winter Olympic Games is a grand event pursuing development and prosperity.

China has always upheld the vision of hosting a green, inclusive, open and clean Winter Olympics, which is highly identical to the reform of the Olympics.

The Beijing Winter Games is the first one in history to power all its venues with green electricity, the first one in history to massively apply the carbon dioxide ice-making technology that generates almost no carbon emission, and the first one in history to comprehensively implement the IOC’s sustainability policies in the realms of economy, environment and society.

The new development philosophy featuring innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development demonstrated at the Beijing Winter Games will inject a strong impetus into sustainable development of the world.

The Beijing Winter Olympic Games is a grand event carrying forward the spirit of solidarity.

It is the first Winter Games held after the notion of “Together” was added to the Olympic motto, as well as the first global comprehensive sports event held on schedule after the outbreak of COVID-19.

The event is joined by nearly 3,000 athletes from 91 countries and regions, and 32 political dignitaries around the world have attended its opening ceremony and relevant activities. Besides, political dignitaries and the people from many countries have sent their wishes to the Beijing Winter Games. It vividly explains what Guterres has said -- the Olympic spirit shines as a beacon to human solidarity.

A foreign dignitary said that the Olympic flame lit at the National Stadium in Beijing will be a symbol of the sports spirit transcending national boundaries, which embodies the strong will and unity of mankind and inspires confidence in building a peaceful and prosperous world.

From "One World, One Dream" in 2008 to "Together for a Shared Future" in 2022, China has taken an active part in the Olympic Movement and consistently championed the Olympic spirit. The country is committed to pursuing the Olympic ideal with concrete actions.

It is believed that the Beijing Winter Games will make newer and greater contributions to the Olympic Movement and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

When the giant snowflake, inscribed with names of all participating countries and regions, rose up in the Bird's Nest, the flame at its center symbolized the beginning of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games.

The smiling faces of athletes from across the world at the grand opening ceremony showed that they were ready to enjoy the sports gala.

It is already a great success for China to make it happen as scheduled against all odds, in spite of doubts and criticism during the preparation, including concerns about air quality, artificial snow, COVID-19 pandemic, etc.

Beijing is the only dual-Olympic city which hosts both the Summer and Winter Olympics, of which some Western media have expressed worries for the shortage of snow, and then for the quality of artificial snow.

But when Phil Bellingham arrived at the venue, the Australian cross-country skier was satisfied.

"It's super consistent and firm snow, which works for me as I'm more of a big bodied skier," he told a press conference earlier this week.

"The course is really good, the snow is really good," said his teammate Seve de Campo.

In fact, competition snow requires a higher density than recreational snow in order to meet the requirements of the International Ski Federation and to ensure conditions are consistent and fair for each competitor.

Artificial snow was first used at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic Winter Games. Around 90 percent of snow used at the Alpine skiing venue for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics was artificial, while man-made snow was also a feature of Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014.

Beijing 2022 organizers have vowed to deliver a sustainable and eco-friendly event. This principle not only applies to snow-making, but is also shown in the constant improvement of air quality.

Beijing's average concentration of PM2.5 was 33 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021, the lowest level since records began in 2013. The city saw 288 days of good air quality last year, up by 112 days from 2013.

David Vance Wagner, from the U.S. State Department's Office of the Special Envoy for Climate Change, tweeted last month: "Incredible: Beijing gov't has announced that the city met China's air quality targets for all 6 key pollutants in 2021. Extraordinary progress that was almost unimaginable 10 years ago."

Another obstacle is the the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed more than five million lives across the world.

China, with its population topping 1.4 billion, is tackling the issue well with a closed-loop system in place for the Winter Olympics. It is held in Beijing, whose population is nearly that of Australia, which is still battling with COVID-19 with tens of thousands of cases reported daily.

"The reality is that every country in the world at the moment has a higher level of COVID [cases] than China does. So that means people coming in are traveling from a high level of COVID [risk] to a low level," said Dr. Brian McCloskey, chief of the Beijing 2022 Medical Expert Panel.

The Beijing Olympic Winter Games has brought together about 2900 athletes from 91 countries and regions.

"Not a lot of countries would be able to host the Olympics during a pandemic. It's something that only strong countries can actually achieve," said Sandrine Nduwimana of the China-Africa Business Council, who has lived in China for more than 14 years.

Alessandro Golombiewski Teixeira, a professor at Tsinghua University who moved to Beijing from the United States three years ago, said China is giving an example of a safe Winter Olympics. "China took all the precautions. It did the impossible," he said.

Despite the so-called diplomatic boycott led by a few Western countries, the sporting gala attracted more than 30 international dignitaries from across the world, including heads of state, heads of government, members of royal families and heads of international organizations.

This gathering of leaders during a time of COVID-19 showed the support of the world for the Olympics, as well as their wish for unity.

During the opening ceremony, Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, expressed his gratitude to China. "Thank you for making these Olympic Winter Games happen - and making them happen in a safe way for everyone," he said.

"In our fragile world, where division, conflict and mistrust are on the rise, we show the world: yes, it is possible to be fierce rivals, while at the same time living peacefully and respectfully together."

The cauldron was lit and the stage was set. In the following two weeks, athletes from around the world will enjoy, compete and exchange with each other and make friends under the Olympic rings in Beijing.

A new chapter of history will be written and more victories will be achieved. Many years later, when the Beijing Olympic Winter Games is mentioned, people will say, "Yes, I remember it."

"It was a very difficult time and China managed to defeat all the difficulties to make it happen," perhaps they will say. "It showed the world that no matter what, unity is possible, if you are only willing to give it a chance."

High-tech opening ceremony a showcase for Beijing

"The opening ceremony of the Games left people with deep impressions and showed Beijing's fruitful scientific achievements in digital economic growth," Wang Lei, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Economy and Information Technology Bureau, told a news conference.

According to the bureau, the added value of Beijing's digital economy reached 1.6 trillion yuan ($250 billion) last year, accounting for 40.4 percent of its GDP.

Beijing's software and information service industry achieved total revenue of 2.2 trillion yuan last year, double the level in 2018.

"The industrial scale of Beijing's software and information services accounts for 25.7 percent of the country's, ranking the top among provinces and cities in China," Wang said.

Beijing issued an action plan to accelerate the construction of its digital economy in August.

The plan proposed focusing on cutting-edge technologies and future strategic requirements, as well as promoting the deep integration of digital technology and the real economy.

To achieve the target, Beijing has supported the development of communication technologies such as new-generation information and communication networks, the integration of communication and artificial intelligence, the integration of satellite and ground networking and the security of communication networks.

Beijing will also push forward with research and development of 6G-related high-end chips, core devices and simulation and verification platforms, according to the plan.

Since the plan was issued, the city has taken the lead in realizing the technical connection of the whole 5G plus 8K industrial chain.

This year, for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, 8K technology is being applied on a large scale in reports about events.

Beijing has established the world's first city-level 8K broadcasting system, and built 20 large 8K screens and installed 200 large 8K televisions in public areas to provide residents with an immersive Games experience.

Nearly 200 enterprises have settled in the national network security industrial park in Beijing

Beijing Winter Games 2022 goes down in history by putting people at the center.

At the same time, the 2022 Winter Olympics also stands out as the Games of the people. That's what makes it truly exceptional and leaves lasting memories in Olympic history.

The Winter Games have generated enthusiasm for winter sports among ordinary people. Six and a half years on since 2015 when China won the bid for the 2022 Winter Games, more and more Chinese people, including those in the southern provinces, have participated in winter sports training, amateur or professional competitions, and winter sports-related leisure activities. By the end of 2021, about 346 million Chinese people had participated in "ice and snow sports". China has made good on the promise of bringing winter sports to nearly one-fourth of its population.

The Winter Games focus on the participation of ordinary people, starting with the opening ceremony. There were no stars, no celebrities or professional performers, just ordinary people showing the world who they are, including a group of untrained dancers ranging from five-year-olds to people in their 70s who performed cheerful "square dancing" (a popular form of physical exercise among Chinese people, especially senior citizens) as a "warm-up show" for the ceremony.

Volunteers in blue and white uniforms, mostly university students, are serving both the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. With 19,000 working at the venues and many more supporting the Games from the outside, young people pitch in wherever needed with warm smiles. They are the unrecognized stars of the Games and an important force of "Together for a Shared Future".

The Winter Games have been truly enjoyed by the ordinary people. Chinese people have been avidly following the Games online. Beijing 2022 is already the most-viewed Winter Olympics in China ever. For the Chinese people, it's less about winning medals, and more about cheering for sporting excellence and enjoying the charm of winter sports.

Just like President Xi Jinping said during his meeting with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach: "I don't care how many gold medals Chinese athletes win this time. I care more about the motivation and vitality it will inject into us in the future."

Outside the competition venues, another bewitching race is on－to get a Bing Dwen Dwen, the panda mascot for the Games. Two days after the opening ceremony, figurines of the mascot had been sold out all over China. Other than the fluffy panda, Chinese netizens are also swooning over Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, a two-time Olympic champion whose insistence on doing the almost impossibly quadruple axel, or"4A", became an inspiration for millions.

The Games' legacy will continue to benefit the people. Take the impressive Big Air Shougang for example. Viewers across the world have watched the world's top snowboarders flying down ramps built on the side of former cooling towers.

This gigantic ski ramp rising from a disused steel mill was designed and built with a much bigger agenda: boosting winter sports industries and tourism, driving economic growth and bettering people's lives in the years to come. Shougang district, once the heart of Beijing's industrial complex, is a pilot project for the reformation of antiquated industrial zones across China.

The snow-covered Chongli county in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, is one more testimony to the ongoing changes. Chongli used to be an impoverished, mountainous area. Today, it has become a hot destination for winter sports tourism. One out of every five locals is now employed in the winter sports industry, benefiting directly from the dividends of the Winter Olympics. "Sustainability for the future" is what Beijing 2022 calls for and is delivering (and will continue to deliver) for the people.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, said: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part." In terms of letting people take part, Beijing 2022 will definitely go down in history as an Olympics that puts people at the center.

IOC: 2022 Winter Olympics a big success

Citing the Games' rich legacy and effective COVID-19 countermeasures, the International Olympic Committee has summed up the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics as a history-making success in its initial review of the event.

Three months after its closing ceremony, the Beijing 2022 Winter Games remained a hot topic during an IOC session last week with Chinese organizers' professional, safe and smooth delivery of the winter sports gala as well as its sustainable benefits for the hosting areas highlighted in an interim report of the Games presented by the IOC's coordination commission.

Juan Antonio Samaranch, the chairman of the IOC Beijing 2022 Coordination Commission, praised the Chinese host's "excellent delivery" of the Beijing 2022 event in his remarks while presenting the report to the 139th IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Samaranch reiterated his belief that the Beijing 2022 Winter Games had featured "probably the best-ever Winter Games program "and will go down in history as a resounding success for many reasons. A final report is due to be delivered at the next IOC session in Mumbai next year.

With women accounting for 45 percent of the 2,897 athletes, Beijing 2022 was the most gender-balanced Olympic Winter Games in history. It featured the highest ever number of women's events at 46 out of a total of 109, the report said.

In addition, Samaranch highlighted the effectiveness of the COVID-19 control protocols adopted during the Games as a major achievement to remember during a challenging time when the pandemic is still wreaking havoc on international sporting events.

Thanks to the strict operation of a closed-loop system, where athletes could only stay and travel between official hotels and venues using designated transport services separated from the local communities, imported COVID-19 cases from inbound visitors were kept under control throughout the Games, with no infections leaking out of the loop.

"The Games have happened flawlessly and without the need of much coordination," said Samaranch. "They have safely delivered the Games in the most difficult environment that could be there. Not only that, but they have been responsive to all our requests. They had enormous patience and they were very humble with all our recommendations."

Sustainability and legacy were other key contributors to the success of the Beijing 2022 Games, the report said. All Beijing 2022 venues were powered by renewable energy for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games.

Reusing venues built for the 2008 Summer Games, such as the National Aquatics Center for curling and Wukesong Arena for ice hockey, to host winter sports events at Beijing 2022 set examples for a sustainable future of the Olympic Movement.

Yang Qiyong, general manager of the aquatics center, known as the "Ice Cube" during Beijing 2022, described the project to turn the swimming pool into an ice venue for curling competitions as a game changer.

"Now with the center capable of switching between swimming and ice sports, we could significantly diversify our business operation for all seasons," Yang said.

Beijing 2022's key legacies have also included promoting winter sports participation among 346 million Chinese in the lead-up to the Games, turning the country into a burgeoning market for winter sports and related activities.

Media coverage of the Games also set records, according to the report, with more hours of content aired and streamed than any previous editions of the Winter Games.

Chinese Olympic champions hope to defend titles at 2026 Winter Games

China's athletes who were crowned at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games have vowed to defend their titles at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Both Winter Games speed skating 500m champion Gao Tingyu and short track speed skating 1,000m champion Ren Ziwei expressed their hopes to retain their titles in 2026 after a symposium in Heilongjiang, a traditional winter sports powerhouse whose athletes contributed four gold and two bronze medals to China at Beijing 2022.

"If I can stand on the track of the 2026 Winter Olympics, I still hope to win the championship," Gao said.

After Beijing 2022, the 24-year-old speed skater participated in several social activities and will return to his hometown of Yichun, Heilongjiang Province, to accompany his family for a few days.

"I have some injuries right now, so I need to rest and then prepare for the 2026 Winter Olympics," he said.

After Beijing 2022, many Chinese athletes have set new goals.

"A new journey begins since the moment you Walk off the podium. The first two years of the next Winter Olympics cycle are mainly to ensure one's physical function, control injuries, continue to train hard, and compete for the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics," said the men's 1,000m champion.

Zhang Yuting, Ren Ziwei's teammate and the Beijing 2022 short track speed skating mixed team relay champion, returned to Harbin not long ago and resumed training.

Under her influence, Zhang's younger sister is also undergoing short track speed skating training and is chasing her dream on the ice rink with her elder sibling.

In addition to training, many Chinese Winter Olympic champions have also begun to take on more social responsibilities.

"Winter sports are becoming more and more popular in China. Heilongjiang Province has a long winter sports tradition. I will definitely work hard to promote them," Gao said.

After Beijing 2022, Qu Chunyu, the short track speed skating mixed team relay champion, had many interviews.

"I think this is another form of promoting ice and snow sports, so that more people will like them. I will continue to train hard and strive for a breakthrough at the 2026 Winter Olympics," Qu said.

After returning to his hometown of Harbin, Ren also volunteered. "If I have enough time, I also want to teach children skating, this is my responsibility, and I will continue to contribute to the sport after I retire," Ren said.

Fan Kexin, who won China's first gold medal at Beijing 2022 with her teammates, grew up in Qitaihe city, Heilongjiang province.

Yang Yang, China's first Winter Olympic champion, and Wang Meng, a famous short track speed skater, also come from Qitaihe.

"I hope to inspire the short track speed skaters in Qitaihe, even after I retire," Fan said.

Post-Winter Olympics Planning

Beijing Winter Olympic Village residential area transformed into public rental housing for talented individuals.

An open day for village builders' families was held in the Beijing Winter Olympic Village on April 17, 2022. The first batch of 160 people went to visit different areas in the village. Building delegates from companies such as design and construction as well as their families attended the activity.

This is the first time the Beijing Winter Olympic Village was opened after the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. The residential areas in the Beijing Winter Olympic Village will be transformed into public rental housing for talented people. The operation and square areas are planned to be transformed into special functional areas to service nearby residents.

The village was built four years ago. The residential areas were places for athletes and other officials to live, eat, see doctors and exercise during the Winter Olympics. The design inspiration came from the courtyard form of traditional quadrangles in Beijing, making it a space which combined shared community and individual privacy.

After the Winter Olympics, the residential areas will be put into use in terms of Beijing's strategic positioning of "four centers", to bring qualified and talented people in.

The operation areas were working places for multiple things in the village and for athletes to do security checks and registrations when they arrived during the Winter Olympics. The square areas, which are about 21,700 square meters, were social places for people to converse, shop, read books and satisfy other demands during the games, though the stores are not there anymore after the games.

The transformation of operation and square areas has started and is expected to be open to the public in September this year.

In addition to the venue transformation, Winter Olympics have also given the development and popularity of winter ice and snow sports in China a great boost.

A new generation of young Chinese is expected to further that development, according to a prominent sports official.

Li Xiaoming, deputy director of the winter sports management center of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, said that despite China taking home a whopping 76 medals, 27 of which were gold, at this year's Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the country is still in its infancy in terms of winter sports development.

"The Winter Games have provided a platform for Chinese people to go from being relative outsiders to winter sports to those who now can experience it first hand. The next step is to cultivate people to become active amateurs who regard winter sports as a lifestyle," Li said at a recent forum held at the Wukesong Sports Center in Beijing, one of the Olympic venues.

Guests to the forum delivered speeches and discussed how the competition venues might be best utilized after the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.

Li said the legacy of the Winter Games and the transformation of Olympic venue resources will contribute to the development of the country's ice and snow sports.

"The venues can play a major role in involving more teenagers in winter sports by hosting competitions and becoming a platform for sports communication," he said.

Wukesong Sports Center was transformed from being a venue for basketball to a venue for ice hockey during the Beijing Games, Yuan Yinghui, branding manager of the sports center, said at the forum.

Currently, the venue has the capacity to host a variety of sports, including ice hockey and basketball, as well as concerts and other big events, he said.

A new ice center was built in Wukesong last year for ice hockey training before the Winter Games. It will open to the public in June as a compound integrating sports, culture, catering and recreational activities, she added.

The National Speed Skating Oval, another competition venue of the 2022 Winter Games, known as the "Ice Ribbon", will be opened to the public at the end of this month for fitness purposes and other business projects, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Shougang Industrial Park, home to the Shougang Big Air venue, opened to visitors shortly after the Games concluded. The National Sliding Center in Yanqing district is also scheduled to open to the public before May, aiming to host big events and provide venues for training, public winter sports engagement and leisure.

Li, from the Beijing sports bureau, said that the development of winter sports in China will drive ice and snow-related businesses and contribute positively toward the country's economy.

Keeping the Winter Olympic spirit alive

The Beijing 2022 feel-good buzz just keeps on giving as the nation continues to build on the success of the Winter Games.

A group of Team China's Winter Olympic medalists shared their stories of perseverance and glory at Beijing's Shougang Big Air venue in a bid to encourage the next generation to embrace winter sports and chase their dreams.

"I have been practicing snowboarding since I was a little kid. After I knew Beijing would host the 2022 Winter Olympics, I made the Olympics my dream, and I wanted to show the best of myself at the Games," said snowboard superstar Su Yiming, who made history at Shougang in February by becoming China's first Olympic gold medalist in men's snowboard Big Air.

"I participated in my first World Cup back in 2019 when I was 15, also at Shougang Big Air," Su added.

"Back then, I told myself my goal is to compete at Beijing 2022 and win honor for my country. For a long time, China's men's snowboarders were not among the world's elite, but, through my hard work, I want to let the world see that Chinese snowboarding is at the world's top level."

The 18-year-old Su is now a household name in China after capturing gold, as well as slopestyle silver, at Beijing 2022.

Already targeting more success at future Olympic Games and World Cup meets, Su hopes his story can inspire his young fans to aim high, too.

"Before the Beijing Winter Games, I had doubts if I could win the competition, but I achieved my dream of winning gold," said Su.

"I only started my professional career about four years ago, and at that time I had a huge gap to bridge to the world's top snowboarders.

"I kept my dream and I fought hard for it. I was so excited when I finally achieved it. So I want to tell the younger kids here today that you need to find the thing you love. And if you find your passion, you need to believe in yourself and give it your best effort."

Other Olympic medalists to participate in the activity were short-track speed skating stars Wu Dajing, Fan Kexin, Qu Chunyu and Ren Ziwei, who claimed the host's first gold medal of the Beijing Winter Olympics in the inaugural 2,000m mixed team relay.

Teamwork－both on and off the ice－was key to the success, explained Wu.

"Behind us, there are many people," said Wu, who also won 500m gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. "We could not achieve all this without our team, which includes our medical staff, analysts, a technology support team and physical training crew.

"The Beijing Winter Olympics were such a great platform to showcase our skills. Many people worked extremely hard to help us."

Having reaped the rewards of the nation's investment in Team China, Fan is determined to pass on the Winter Olympic spirit to the next generation.

"We were provided with a great environment to allow us to focus solely on competing. Dajing and I will keep training and competing hard, and we hope to pass on this spirit to the younger generation," said Fan.

"Our experience is more about how to walk out of the failures, and there are so many valuable experiences. A key word in the Chinese short-track speed skating team is tradition. Each generation of skaters passes on their stories to the next.

"And right now, our generation has fantastic training and competing conditions thanks to our nation and help from countless people behind us. Athletes are simple people. All we want is to try our best so we can win a medal."

Chinese figure skating pair Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, who won their first Olympic gold at the Beijing Games and having skated together for 15 years, believe their disappointments and setbacks were what forged them into world-beaters.

"All these experiences made us more mature and more professional. At the 2018 Winter Olympics we missed the gold by just 0.43 points and had to settle for silver. But after that, we were even more determined and were willing to work even harder. Through it all, we actually became more mature athletes," said Han.

"There have been so many people who have supported us, which makes us really grateful and happy."

As well as the heroics of Team China's stars, grassroots promotional efforts have also contributed greatly to the growth of winter sports.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the promotion of winter sports leading up to Beijing 2022 resulted in 346 million Chinese taking part in ice and snow activities.

A total of 654 standard ice rinks and 803 ski resorts were operating in China by the start of last year, increases of 317 percent and 41 percent respectively from 2015, when China won the bid to host the Winter Olympics.

"Thanks to the Beijing Winter Olympics, participating in winter sports has become a new trend among our citizens. Each year, about 50 percent of our population participate in winter sports," said Liu Haitao, an official of Beijing's Shijingshan district where the activity took place.

"This is a great foundation for the future development of winter sports in our district. Today's activity will promote winter sports among more people, especially the younger generation."