Ice and snow equipment manufacturing sees robust growth in NE China's Jilin

Beidahu Ski Resort in Jilin city, northeast China's Jilin Province is a paradise for skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts.

"I tried a carbon fiber snowboard and I found it lighter than the one I have used before, enabling me to move faster," said a woman surnamed Zhang from Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, at the Beidahu Ski Resort.

Photo shows carbon fiber snowboards at the Beidahu Ski Resort in Jilin city, northeast China's Jilin Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

The carbon fiber snowboard praised by Zhang is manufactured by Jilin Chemical Fiber Group in Jilin.

The company is the largest chemical fiber producer in the world. To make snowboards that meet international standards, the company's research and development (R&D) team has made tireless efforts. According to Lu Yang, an engineer from the company, the R&D team conducted more than 20 experiments on the seemingly easy process of bonding the chemical fiber materials with other materials.

Lu said the ice and snow economy has injected impetus into the company.

Photo shows carbon fibers on the surface of a snowboard developed by Jilin Chemical Fiber Group. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

At the production workshop of Liaoyuan Northern Socks Industry Group in Liaoyuan city of Jilin, a scene showing the robust development of the ice and snow economy unfolds as machines, production lines and workers collaborate to produce winter sports socks.

Seizing the opportunity provided by the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, the company started to produce winter sports socks with new materials and new technologies. It supplied more than 3,000 pairs of self-heating winter sports socks to the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, winning acclaim from athletes and referees.

Photo shows winter sports socks developed by Liaoyuan Northern Socks Industry Group in Liaoyuan city of northeast China's Jilin Province. (People's Daily Online/Wang Haiyue)

The self-heating winter sports socks developed by the company provide an average temperature increase of 8 to 12 degrees Celsius, offering warmth to winter sports enthusiasts nationwide and revitalizing traditional sock companies in Jilin.

According to Bai Chunwei, an export manager at the company, the profits generated by winter sports socks are about five times that from regular socks.

Ice and snow equipment are an important link on the ice and snow industrial chain. The robust growth of the ice and snow equipment industry will not only boost the ice and snow economy, but also provide a powerful driving force for high-quality economic and social development.

According to a guideline on promoting the high-quality development of the ice and snow economy of Jilin issued in December 2024, Jilin aims to achieve a total output value of 5 billion yuan (about $682 million) for the ice and snow equipment manufacturing industry by 2030.