Skiing has become the most popular sport for Beijing children and their parents over the current winter vacation, and many ski training camps have popped up in major ski resorts around the city. Even the legendary “Haidian mothers"--group from Beijing’s Haidian District, known for their take-no-prisoners approach to their children’s education--have changed their topic of conversation from examination results to the question: “Have you enrolled your kids in ski classes?”

With the coming of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the fervor for ice and snow sports in China has reached a new peak. Teenagers make up the majority of China’s 300 million snow and ice sports participants, ensuring demand for these sports will continue for decades to come. The growing popularity of these sports with China’s youth also ensures a strong pool from which to draw China’s future Winter Olympians.

(Text and photos by Wei Yao) 

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

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