Feature: Winter sports economy booming in southern China

by sportswriter He Leijing

NANJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- For Wang Lin, a beginner skier, weekends no longer require a flight to the snow-blanketed mountains of northeastern China. Instead, she spends her Saturdays repeatedly falling and getting up on a groomed indoor slope just minutes from her home.

"I don't have to rush or plan far ahead," said Wang, who lives in Wuxi, a lakeside city in east China's Jiangsu Province. "It takes me less than 10 minutes to drive here, and the snow quality feels surprisingly good."

Though new to skiing, Wang has become a regular at the indoor ski resort in Wuxi's Binhu District, fitting lessons into fragmented weekend hours - a pattern increasingly common across China's snow-scarce regions.

Located far from China's traditional winter sports heartlands, the resort attracts nearly half a million visitors annually. More than 70 percent come from the affluent Yangtze River Delta, generating over 180 million yuan (about 26 million US dollars) in ice-and-snow consumption each year.

Such scenes reflect a broader shift. In 2025, China's ice-and-snow industry surpassed the 1-trillion-yuan mark for the first time, according to official data. Regions with little or no natural snowfall, including the Yangtze River Delta, are now claiming a growing share of the country's winter economy.

DIFFERENT SNOW, SAME THRILL

"I never imagined a snow park near home could be this lively," said Zhang Juan, a resident of Jiangsu's Lianyungang, as she held her 5-year-old daughter's hand at a local snow-play park.

Snowmaking machines hummed steadily, transforming the park into a glittering winter fantasy. Snowmobiles and banana boats roared past, while family attractions, from octopus-shaped rides to tracked vehicles, drew long lines of eager visitors.

Despite lacking northern China's natural snow advantages, Jiangsu has quietly emerged as a southern hub for ice-and-snow development by capitalizing on policy flexibility, consumption power and location.

To lower barriers for investors, provincial authorities have encouraged reusing idle factories and warehouses, offering flexible land-use models such as long-term leasing, according to the Jiangsu Department of Natural Resources.

The results are tangible. Over the past five years, the pace of ice-and-snow venue construction has accelerated markedly. Between 2023 and 2025 alone, Jiangsu's number of operating outdoor ski resorts reached 13, while six large-scale indoor ski facilities placed the province among national leaders.

Around the New Year holiday, more than a dozen ski resorts across Jiangsu opened their slopes. During the three-day break, the province hosted 69 large ice-and-snow events, drawing approximately 637,000 participants, up 23.2 perecent and 18.7 percent year-on-year, respectively.

In Lianyungang, known as the mythical home of the Monkey King, the city's first outdoor ice rink turned into a festive carnival. Costumed Monkey King mascots paraded through crowds, nighttime figure-skating performances lit up the sky, and hands-on ice experiences trended on social media.

Over the holiday, the venue attracted 131,100 visitors and generated 14.83 million yuan in surrounding consumption, marking year-on-year increases of 32 percent and 48 percent, local authorities said.

Maintaining southern snow, however, is labor-intensive. At Baohuashan Ski Resort in Jurong, one high-temperature snowmaking machine operates during the day, while another 30 run from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., working overnight to preserve a 20,000-square-meter snowfield.

Despite heavy upfront investment, many southern resorts have opted for affordable pricing. Since the opening of the Baohuashan resort on January 3, its single-day ticket has been priced below 100 yuan, including basic equipment rental.

"With early booking discounts and vouchers for cultural products, it's great value," said Li Hui, a ski enthusiast. "This trip was totally worth it."

Wang Jieping, vice president of the Jiangsu Tourism Association, said southern ice-and-snow venues are not simply copying northern landscapes.

"They integrate ice-and-snow elements with local culture and resources," Wang said. "Multi-tier pricing ensures accessibility, breaking the perception that ice-and-snow experiences are only for high-end consumers."

As incomes rise, China's leisure demand is shifting from sightseeing to immersive experiences, said Wang Shuhua, a researcher at the Jiangsu Academy of Social Sciences.

"Ice-and-snow sports, as fashionable and experiential consumption scenarios, align precisely with aspirations for a higher-quality life," he said.

Geography also plays a decisive role. Jiangsu sits at the heart of the Yangtze River Delta, neighboring Shanghai and Zhejiang, with dense high-speed rail links forming a two-hour travel circle that reaches hundreds of millions of potential consumers.

"This makes 'weekend ice-and-snow trips' a viable routine," Wang said.

According to China's ice-and-snow tourism development report, during the 2025-2026 winter season, the country's ice-and-snow leisure visits are expected to reach 360 million, with revenues projected at 450 billion yuan.

TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE BOOM

Challenges remain. Snow-poor regions face high operating costs due to artificial snowmaking, energy consumption and maintenance, Wang Shuhua noted. "Public understanding of winter sports in the south often remains limited to short-term entertainment."

Compared with northeastern China, where the ice-and-snow industry is mature, southern regions still rely on venue operations and ticket sales. Full industrial chains - spanning equipment manufacturing, event hosting, training, cultural promotion and support services - are yet to take full shape.

"Southern ice-and-snow seasons are short, and indoor snowmaking is energy-intensive," said Zhang Chunlong, an industry researcher. "Without careful planning, sustainability could be an issue. Many visitors come for novelty, and converting that into repeat consumption takes time."

Some venues are experimenting with new models. The Alps Snow World in Suzhou's Taicang, maintained year-round at minus 6 degrees Celsius, has become a landmark for the Yangtze River Delta's winter sports scene.

Since opening two years ago, it has welcomed over 2 million visitors and generated more than 500 million yuan in revenue, with peak daily attendance exceeding 5,000. The venue has boosted local tourism by 10%, with a repeat-visit rate of 37 percent.

To address talent shortages, the resort partnered with a local college to train ski instructors and refrigeration engineers, creating 240 jobs so far.

Differentiation is key. Yixing's Bamboo Sea Ski Resort is China's only eco-tourism ski destination integrating skiing with tea plantations, bamboo forests and mountain landscapes.

"Rushing downhill with natural scenery around you is truly a special experience," said Zhang Muzhi, a visitor from Shanghai. "I'll come back in spring for the bamboo views."

The outdoor resort spans 37,000 square meters, features five ski runs and employs nearly 200 professional instructors. On weekends and holidays, it receives up to 3,000 visitors a day.

It has also introduced branded dining outlets, linked with nearby attractions, partnered with hotels and homestays, and developed four-season packages combining food, lodging and travel.

In Xuzhou, ski resorts have blended winter sports with intangible cultural heritage, hot springs and agricultural picking. Over the New Year holiday, the city received 123,100 visitors and generated 43.07 million yuan in tourism revenue, even integrating its signature "clay-pot chicken" cuisine into the experiences.

With a strong manufacturing base, Jiangsu holds a competitive edge in ice-and-snow equipment production. Experts argue that extending the industrial chain is essential - upstream into high-end skis, functional fabrics and smart snowmaking systems, and downstream into training, events and cultural derivatives.

"Unlike the north's resource-driven model, provinces like Jiangsu can focus on ice-and-snow consumption plus equipment manufacturing," Wang Shuhua said.

"Regular community events and public experience days are also encouraged. They can help move beyond one-off novelty and cultivate a deeper ice-and-snow culture," he added. ■