Ice and snow tourism booms in Beijing ahead of 2022 Olympic Winter Games

As the 2022 Olympic Winter Games are just around the corner, Beijing, the host city, is seeing an increasing number of people participating in winter sports during the winter tourism season.

On Jan. 11, an ice rink at Beijing’s Shichahai scenic area opened to the public. The ice rink, which has two sections marked out on two lakes in Shichahai – namely, Qianhai and Houhai – covers a total area of 160,000 square meters. In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the ice rink has set an upper limit on the number of tourist arrivals at 75 percent of its regular capacity. Many local citizens and tourists flocked to the ice rink on the opening day.

Tourists have fun at an ice rink at the Shichahai scenic area in Beijing. (Photo/People’s Daily Overseas Edition)

Beijing has a long history of developing its ice and snow sports. In 1925, Beihai Park opened to the public and an ice rink inside the park was opened during the winter in the same year. In the 1950s, an ice rink in Shichahai was opened, with ice skate rentals being made available to the public. Since the 1970s and 1980s, ice rinks at Shichahai, Weiming Lake inside Peking University, Beihai Park, Zhongshan Park, and Kunming Lake inside the Summer Palace, have provided top spaces for local residents in Beijing to take part in ice activities.

To meet citizens’ and tourists’ rising demand for winter sporting activities, this year Beijing launched more than 40 snow and ice activities at various parks located in the city.

In the suburbs of Beijing, winter activities are also in full swing. At the Huyu natural scenic area located in Beijing’s Changping district, a frozen waterfall has become a popular tourist destination these days. In addition to admiring the magnificent waterfall, tourists can also experience ice climbing with the guidance of professional ice climbers.

Tourists appreciate a frozen waterfall at a scenic area in the Changping district of Beijing. (Photo/People’s Daily Overseas Edition)

At the scenic spot, tourists with an average age of 9 were seen partaking in various ice activities. According to the person accompanying the young tourists, every year they would organize this kind of tour for younger-aged tourists so that they could get closer to nature and learn more about the Winter Olympic Games.

Apart from Changping district, Fengtai, Yanqing, Fangshan and Mentougou districts also rolled out distinctive winter tourism products. The culture and tourism bureau of Fengtai launched two travel routes to cover a variety of activities, including engaging in snow and ice sports, enjoying hot springs, appreciating indoor flowers, enjoying delicious food, and shopping.