For trendy Chinese urbanites,
grabbing a snowboard and
hitting the slopes ranks high on
the list of the most fashionable
ways to spend a weekend.
The popularity of winter
sports in China has grown
greatly in recent years, fueled by
a nationwide participation push
in the buildup to the Winter Ol-
ympics in Beijing and Zhangjia-
kou, Hebei province, next year.
Chongli district of Zhangjia-
kou now boasts seven fully
functional ski resorts, along with
more than 190 hotels and apart-
ment complexes, and 169 ski
runs totaling 161.7 kilometers
(100 miles).
With the improvement of
services, the sector was show-
ing strong growth before the
COVID-19 pandemic struck.
Chongli welcomed 4.42 million
tourists in 2019.
“China’s skiing and snow-
boarding population is grow-
ing fast,” said Zhou Wenqian,
president of Thaiwoo Ski Resort
in Chongli. “From the perspec-
tive of consumption, demand is
changing from just experiencing
winter sports to making them a
lifestyle choice.
“Skiing and snowboarding
were not popular sports in
China, but with the arrival of the
Beijing Winter Olympics and a
series of high-level international
meets, more people have been
attracted to them.”
According to the 2016-25 ice
and snow industry development
plan approved by the central
government, China expects to
have 50 million people tak-ing part in
winter sports
regularly, with
the sector
projected to be
worth 1 trillion
yuan ($155 bil-
lion) by 2025.
It is obviously
a lucrative
business, with
consumers
increasingly
willing to splash
out to look and feel good on the
slopes.
“I started snowboarding in
2016, and each year I’ve spent
5,000 yuan to 15,000 yuan
on the sport,” Mei Shuyao, a
Chongli regular and Beijing of-
fi ce worker, said.
“My spending depends on
how far I travel to enjoy it. It’s
more expensive for me to go to
Chongli or some other places
further away than going to ski
resorts in Beijing. But compared
with true hardcore snowboard-
ers, I’m just one of those on a
small budget.
“Of all my equipment, my
snowboard is the most expen-
sive item. My clothes and boots
are pretty aff ordable, but it’s
all worth it. After all, it’s a sport
that brings you a great sense of
achievement.”Dunhuang and thought it was
an important base. So he sug-
gested that the emperor build
a city in the desert. As offi cials,
soldiers and merchants moved
to Dunhuang from inland areas,
military fortresses were built
at Yangguan Pass and Yumen
Pass, and Dunhuang etched its
name fi rmly in history.
Its construction also laid
the foundation for cultural
exchanges.
“A foreign culture will not
remain in a cultural desert,” said
Wang Xudong, director of the
Palace Museum in Beijing, in
the book^ The Grottoes Corridor
of China. “As with the human
longing for an oasis, culture
needs an oasis, too. Dunhuang
bridges ancient Chinese, Indian,
Greek, Roman
and Egyptian
civilizations.”
For thou-
sands of years
traders speak-
ing diff erent
languages
came to
Dunhuang to
buy and sell
Chinese silk,
tea, porcelain,
Western gem-
stones, spices,
horses and
fruit. The pros-
perous social
and commer-
cial activity has
been depicted
in paintings on the walls of
ancient grottoes.
Ji Gang, a global partner
at the consultancy Roland
Berger, said as a trade city with
multiple languages and a blend
of cultures and ethnic charac-
teristics, Dunhuang shows the
diversity and inclusiveness of
the country. Its architecture,
colored sculptures, wall paint-
ings and other artworks were
created by ancestors from dif-
ferent regions and eras, and are
a priceless treasure for China
and the world.
The Mogao Grottoes are a
UNESCO World Heritage site
with their numerous ancient
murals and Buddhist statues
in 735 caves. They are a rich
resource for artistic and histori-
cal exploration.
In 366 a monk named Le
Zun visited Dunhuang and
witnessed a sunset on Sanwei
Mountain. He believed the gold-
en light was a sign of Buddha
and regarded it as sacred land.
He raised money and hired
workers to dig the fi rst cave on
the mountain so he could sit in
meditation.
During the following 10
dynasties, more Buddhist
believers, including monks,
offi cials, merchants and mem-
bers of royalty, commissioned
Buddhist statues and paintings,
and the scale of the grottoes
expanded.
However, as the Maritime
Silk Road took over as the
major channel for exchanges
between China and the West,
the role of
land traffi c
to Dunhuang
faded. After the
Yuan Dynasty
(1271-1368),
construction
of grottoes
ceased. In
1528 residents
moved inland,
and Dunhuang
became the
home of
nomads. The
grottoes were
forgotten for
hundreds of
years, and
many parts
were destroyed
by wind, water and thieves.
“That’s why the remaining
caves are so valuable,” said
Li Ping, head of the cultural
promotion department at
Dunhuang Academy.
The grottoes opened to the
public in 1979, and the number
of tourist visits surged from
26,000 then to a peak of 2.2
million in 2019. Last year, with
visits reduced by the corona-
virus, it welcomed 1.39 million
visits. Now, it has about 20,000
foreign visits annually, mainly
from Japan, the United States
and South Korea.
The attraction off ers guided
services in six languages — Chi-
nese, English, Japanese, French,
Korean and German. All fi lms,
exhibitions and signboards
have English translations.DUNHUANG
BRIDGES
ANCIENT
CHINESE,
INDIAN, GREEK,
ROMAN AND
EGYPTIAN
CIVILIZATIONS.”
WANG XUDONG,
DIRECTOR OF THE PALACE
MUSEUM IN BEIJING
‘‘
million
people are
expected to
take part in
winter sports
regularly
according to the
2016-25 ice and
snow industry
development
plan50
Additional information is on fi le with the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
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