Breaking the Ice

Students have fun on the Kunming Lake ice rink in Beijing’s Summer Palace on January 21
A coach teaches children curling at an activity center in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, on February 12
A game during the First National Children’s Ice Hockey Grand Prix in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, on February 12
Figure skaters Yu Xiaoyu and Zhang Hao perform in the Audi Cup of China event at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Beijing on November 19, 2016
A national skating marathon in Yanqing District in Beijing on January 9
Kazak herdsmen vie at buzkashi, the goat-grabbing contest, in Fukang by the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on January 26, 2016

Edited by Lu Yan, photos by Xinhua

Since Beijing and Zhangjiakou in neighboring Hebei Province won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, the entire country has become increasingly enthusiastic about winter sports. Skiing and skating are popular winter activities while lesser-known games such as curling and ice hockey have also become familiar to Chinese sports lovers. A look at the ways the Chinese are choosing to go with snow.