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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
On November 23, the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post published an article headlined "China's Winter Sports Boom Drives Domestic Consumption, Relevant Industries." The article argues that, in the context of China's developing ice and snow economy, active public participation and increased government support are driving innovation in equipment, increasing the number of ski resorts in the country, and creating new jobs.
For the past three years, with the onset of winter, Zhou, a woman living in the southern city of Guangzhou, would fly to northern China to ski. The better she got, the more often she upgraded her gear.
The winter sports boom has spread throughout China. It began with the Beijing Winter Olympics and was supported by government policy. Previously, the Zhou family often went on tours of Southeast Asia during the winter holidays, but since 2022, they have been regularly traveling to the country's northern provinces, such as Jilin and Liaoning. The girl's mother said, "While my daughter trains daily with a coach, we relax and have fun nearby. Last year, we spent almost 20,000 yuan in Shenyang, and this year, her biggest dream is to go to the ski resort in the Altay Prefecture of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region."
Young people born in the 2000s and 2010s have become the fastest-growing consumer group in China's winter sports market, and they often drive their families' decisions on how to spend their leisure money.
In 2024, China's winter sports market reached RMB 1.05 trillion and is expected to reach RMB 1.56 trillion by 2029. Among Chinese winter sports enthusiasts in 2024, 52.0% were aged 24 to 30, while women accounted for 71.3%. Moreover, 61.5% of respondents purchased their own equipment, stimulating the growth of supply chains for both domestic ski equipment (suits, goggles) and snow and ice-making equipment, essential for the development of the winter sports industry.
Growing winter sports-related consumer chains across China provide a seasonal source of income for many young people.
Every winter, Chen Xiaoyu, a sports science graduate, works part-time as a ski instructor, earning between 1,000 and 1,200 yuan a day. This year, he opened his own ski club, purchased domestic ski suits and goggles in bulk, and hired a team of coaches.
During the 2013-2014 winter season, there were only five indoor ski resorts in China, but by the 2024-2025 season, that number had skyrocketed to 79. As of April of this year, another 16 such facilities were under construction.
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