Spring Festival snow brings skiing craze

cctv.com 01-29-2004 09:50

Despite expectations of an unseasonally warm Spring Festival, a cold snap in the north of China covered large areas in a thick layer of snow. Taking advantage of the seven-day Spring Festival holiday, many people rushed out into the chilly air to enjoy the fresh snow on their skis. Skiing is a new fad that has emerged this Spring Festival.

Since the lunar New Year's Eve, an average of 100,000 people have patronized the 13 ski facilities in Beijing. Besides skiing, visitors can choose from a wide range of other thrilling snow-related activities, such as snow motorcycling and snow boarding.

Song Chunying, general manager of Beijing Snow World Skiing Facility Co. Ltd., said, "The number of skiers visiting the slopes between New Year's Eve and the seventh day of the lunar new year has reached a record. We have received about 8,000 people every day."

Beijing's ski industry has made gigantic leaps in the past three years, the number of ski centers growing from three in 2000 to 12 in 2003. The number of skiers is expected to grow by 30 percent this year.

Living in one of the country's coldest areas, the people of Shenyang in Northeast China's Liaoning Province take naturally to snow sports. The city boasts some of the best alpine ski facilities in the country. Skiers of all ages and tastes are bound to find their sport of choice in Shenyang.

Further north, in Harbin City of Heilongjiang Province, young husbands took part in a tough competition. As if skiing itself is not hard enough, the men had to carry their wives on their backs while trying to keep standing on their skies.

An unexpected heavy snow turned Weihai City of Eastern Shandong province into a winter wonderland. Drawn by the charming scene, the city's residents gathered in major squares of the city to share a jubilant moment, feeding pigeons and taking photos in the snow.

On the other side of the country, the snow-capped Tianshan Mountain in western Xinjiang Autonomous Region is a paradise for winter sports lovers. On the frozen surface of the Tianchi Lake, people can go wild skating, driving snow motorbike and even practicing archery. Meanwhile, in Xinjiang's Shihezi, a dazzling exhibition of ice lanterns added glitter to the festival atmosphere.

In Shanghai, where snow is rare, skiing became all the rage after several heavy snowfalls. The number of skiers visiting the city's indoor ski centers rocketed during the holidays. Although many of them were beginners and had trouble staying up on their skies, everyone entered into the spirit of the festival and had fun.

Editor:Zhang  Source:CCTV.com