As China's 2025-26 ice and snow season kicked into high gear last month, against the backdrop of the Spring Festival holiday (February 15-23) and the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Italy (February 6-22), the country turned its coldest months into one of its hottest economic drivers. The real story here is no longer just about record participation; it's about a meticulously engineered economic engine now operating at full throttle. The underlying strategy focuses on building a full-fledged industry chain integrating sports, tourism, manufacturing and culture.

The evidence is on display nationwide. Jilin Province in the northeast aims to receive 180 million ice and snow tourists this winter, targeting 330 billion yuan ($47 billion) in spending. The province opened the season last November by setting a Guinness World Record for "the largest ski parade in Peking Opera costumes": 266 skiers in Peking Opera costumes gliding down the slopes at Songhua Lake Resort. Meanwhile, the Ice and Snow World in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, spanning 1.2 million square meters, drew over 3 million visitors over a 65-day period this season.

Perhaps most striking is the geographic spread. Last September, subtropical Shenzhen opened a 29.6-billion-yuan ($4.2-billion) indoor resort that now welcomes over 5,000 daily visitors, including skiers from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, who arrive in under an hour by high-speed rail.

Policy innovation is accelerating demand. Jilin as well as Urumqi and Altay in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region offered official "snow breaks" in December 2025, giving students days off to ski. The impact was immediate, with visitor numbers soaring and free public ski lessons for students booked out.

In Beijing and Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, the two cities that hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics, the Olympic legacy has been activated. The Yanqing zone in Beijing hosted 12 international and domestic events this season, including the Skeleton Asian Cup, while serving as a training base for over 50 national and provincial teams.

Consumer spending on winter sports exceeded 187.5 billion yuan ($27 billion) during the 2024-25 season, growing over 25 percent year on year. The ice and snow industry reached 1 trillion yuan ($145 billion) in 2025, up from 270 billion yuan ($40 billion) in 2015, according to an industry report. It is projected to exceed 1.5 trillion yuan ($217 billion) by 2030.