Winter sports begin Chinese 'spring' (3)

　　[Photo by Tang Xiaobo/ For China Daily]

China is planning have more than 2,000 schools that feature winter sports prominently by the year 2020, and over 5,000 by the year 2025. This blueprint is not only meant to be carried out in developed areas, but also to plant seeds in underdeveloped and remote areas.

Kangle is little-known village in western China's Qinghai province. Locals can often be seen skiing at local resorts, as was the case on the fifth day of the Chinese lunar New Year holiday. A group of cousins enjoyed the slopes together, with the eldest brother continually slipping on the ground over and over again, much to the amusement of his family members. One of the six cousins, 19-year-old Guo Nina, has been skiing for three years. She is quite agile on the snow, and is always happy to show off her skills.

"There are more winter sports places popping up in recent years, which has provided us with new places to go for our family gatherings," said Guo.

Youngsters are not the only group of people who are enjoying winter sports in China's rural areas. 45-year-old Li Ruyong from Gansu province took his family on a vacation at Kangle resort, and says it caused some great childhood memories to come back.

"When I was a child, we had nothing to do during winter, the only thing that we could do for fun was to ski on a shovel. Now that I am skiing again, this deja vu makes me feel much younger," said Li.

Kangle has become a place for people from Gansu, Sichuan, Ningxia and other nearby provinces to take to the slopes and create their own memories. "We had about 2,600 visitors everyday during the spring festival, 1,000 more visitors than last year," said Liu Pingli, vice general manager of Kangle ski resort.