Editor's note: Booming winter tourism and increased mass participation in winter sports continue to inject vitality to the ice and snow season in China. Significant progress has been made in winter activities under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, who on many occasions has stressed the development of winter sports and ice and snow industries. As the winter activities gain greater momentum in China, let's review his passion and support for winter sports and economy.

Winter sports enthusiast

In February 2014, President Xi attended the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia. During that visit, he told Rossiya TV, a Russian television channel, that he loves winter sports. "I like watching ice hockey games, speed skating, figure skating and freestyle skiing. Hockey is my favorite, because it requires both personal skill and teamwork."

Growing up in the northern part of China, Xi developed enthusiasm for skating at a young age. During his visit to Beijing's Wukesong sports center in February 2017, Xi shared with the young ice hockey athletes his experience of first stepping onto the ice in a pair of skates.

"Back then, I was a primary school pupil, the same age as you, and it was on the frozen lake of Shichahai in central Beijing. I simply started skating, despite the fact that my skating boots were the wrong size."