Ski enthusiasts are starting to head to Chongli district in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, as ski resorts have begun opening, offering ideal settings for skiers to indulge in their long-held passion.

"I've been waiting here for the resorts to open because I'm very excited to start skiing in the new snow season," said Li Fushan, an avid skier from Zhejiang province. Li arrived in Chongli on Oct 15 and has been enjoying the thrill of racing down the slopes.

"The snow quality, mountain conditions and cable car capacity here are excellent," said the 31-year-old who started learning to ski in 2021 and is visiting Chongli for the third consecutive year. "The experience is wonderful; it's the kind of passion that's hard to step away from. It's truly marvelous."

Li has rented an apartment in downtown Chongli and visits Wanlong Paradise Resort, one of the district's major ski resorts, nearly every day. As a freelancer primarily working in sports, including as a basketball coach, Li also enjoys diving and skiing.

Besides skiing in Chongli, he's also teaching snowboarding.

"I'm currently teaching an 18-year-old student from Jiangsu province," Li told China Daily on Monday.

Since the resort opened on Thursday, the average daily visitor count has reached about 1,500, a roughly 10 percent increase over the same period last year, according to Liu Yu, director of marketing and promotion at Wanlong Paradise Resort.

"In the beginning, most visitors are skiing enthusiasts. As more ski slopes open, tourists will join the trend," Liu said, adding that services will be upgraded, including adding challenging off-piste tracks and expanding the night skiing area to enhance visitors' experiences.

Wanlong was the first resort in Chongli to open this season, followed by Thaiwoo Ski Resort and Forlong Four Seasons Town, both of which opened on Saturday.

Liu mentioned that current visitors are mainly from the nearby Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, along with some from southern China.

"This year, shuttle buses have been introduced from Beijing South Railway Station and Beijing Capital International Airport, so visitors can travel directly to Chongli after arriving by train or plane," Liu added.

Besides skiers, Chongli will also host seven International Ski and Snowboard Federation events and 14 national snow sports competitions during the 2024-2025 snow season.

"These high-level events will further expand the district's sports consumption channels, injecting new energy into the sports economy," said Wu Liya, a publicity director with Chongli's bureau of culture, radio, television, tourism and sports.

Zhangjiakou, which co-hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics with Beijing, has experienced booming growth in winter sports and tourism, drawing increased support at the national level for industry development.

Nationwide, several high-quality ice and snow sports and tourism destinations will be established by 2030, with the total value of the ice and snow economy projected to reach 1.5 trillion yuan ($208.4 billion), according to guidelines from the General Office of the State Council published on Oct 31.

The guidelines highlight that Chongli, among other locations, will receive support in building an ice and snow economic cluster with international influence.

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