HARBIN -- Heilongjiang, China's northernmost province, has once again embraced winter's chill, transforming its frosty landscapes into a hub of creative snowy activities and a driver for economic growth.

On Friday, Mohe's ski resort, renowned for hosting China's longest ski season from November through mid-to-late April, launched its new snow season, officially marking the start of Heilongjiang's winter tourism.

The opening drew over 500 tourists and ski enthusiasts. "Skiing in the 'land of the extreme north of China' is cool and thrilling," said Zhang Chao, a tourist from Northeast China's Liaoning province, dressed in full ski gear and eager to hit Mohe's slopes early in the season.

Beyond skiing, the resort offers a variety of snow-based activities such as tug-of-war, snow soccer, and snowmobiling, attracting visitors from across China. "Playing soccer and tug-of-war on snow was unexpected, and it kept me warm," said Zhang Miaomiao, a tourist from East China's Fujian province.

The influx of visitors has brought new economic opportunities to Beiji village, where Mohe's ski resort is located. Local residents have taken up roles as guesthouse owners, restaurateurs, and tour guides.

Shi Ruijuan, a guesthouse owner, said bookings for New Year's Day and the Spring Festival were already high. "We're also building more guesthouses to offer a cozy stay for more tourists," she said.

In Harbin, Heilongjiang's capital, the famed Ice-Snow World theme park will span a record one million square meters this winter, up from 810,000 square meters last year.

A total of 300,000 cubic meters of ice and snow, up from 250,000 cubic meters, will be used to craft sculptures such as castles and towers. The park's design and construction will feature elements of the ninth Asian Winter Games, which is scheduled for February 7-14, 2025 in Harbin and is expected to see record participation with over 1,500 athletes from 34 countries and regions registered so far.

The theme park also boasts a 23,800-square-meter indoor ice and snow attraction, maintaining a temperature between minus 8 to minus 12 degrees Celsius, which allows guests to enjoy winter activities year-round amid intricate ice art and colorful lights.

Heilongjiang will launch a 100-day winter tourism initiative on Nov 8, aiming to establish itself as a world-class ice-and-snow tourism destination, the provincial department of culture and tourism said.

Heilongjiang's winter tourism made headlines last season, with Harbin as a top destination, boosting domestic spending and fueling local market growth.

The province welcomed 120 million tourists and received approximately 171.2 billion yuan (about $24.11 billion) in revenue between November 2023 and February 2024, marking a record-breaking 222.22 percent increase in visitors and a 553 percent surge in revenue year-on-year.

Heilongjiang's success is part of a nationwide ice-and-snow tourism boom. Across China, snow-covered parks, scenic spots, and ski resorts are drawing crowds, with the ice-and-snow economy thriving more than ever.

Experts say this prosperity is inseparable from the country's efforts to deepen supply-side structural reforms to expedite the upgrading of the ice-and-snow industry, which has turned frozen landscapes into treasure troves.

An industry report showed that the number of people engaging in ice-and-snow leisure tourism across the country during the 2024-2025 winter season is expected to exceed 500 million, up from 385 million during the last winter season.