STORY: Booming winter economy emerges as China's new growth area
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: Dec. 24, 2024
LENGTH: 0:01:26
LOCATION: HARBIN/CHANGCHUN, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Harbin Ice-Snow World
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): DAI XIAOQIN, Tourist from Hubei Province
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): MENG LIANG, Tourist from Hubei Province
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): ZHANG JING, Homestay owner in Nangou Village
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): WANG XUE, Ski instructor in Nangou Village

STORYLINE:

The 26th edition of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, the world's largest ice-and-snow theme park, officially opened on Saturday in Harbin, the capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

As an established ice-and-snow theme park, Harbin Ice-Snow World stands out as one of China's iconic winter attractions.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): DAI XIAOQIN, Tourist from Hubei Province
"We were quite impressed when we saw such a huge snow sculpture for the first time."   

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): MENG LIANG, Tourist from Hubei Province
"We've never seen so much ice and snow before, and we're really excited."

In Harbin alone, the last snow season saw over 87 million visitors, up 300 percent year on year, and 124.8 billion yuan in tourism revenue, up 500 percent.

To accelerate growth of winter economy in the country's northeastern region, the Chinese government has recently unveiled initiatives including establishing dedicated ice-and-snow holidays, increasing flight routes and optimizing visa-free policies, all aimed at attracting more domestic and international visitors. 

In northeast China's Jilin Province, Nangou Village has transformed from a quiet rural community into a bustling hub of winter sports and tourism.

Today, Nangou has over 100 guesthouses, and more and more villagers work as ski instructors, guesthouse operators, and ski lift attendants.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): ZHANG JING, Homestay owner in Nangou Village 
"My homestay is a place where guests can relax and socialize. Most of our guests are from cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. They can talk over food and drink. I have much confidence in the market, especially because the government has provided a lot of support to local villagers."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): WANG XUE, Ski instructor in Nangou Village
"I used to work as a cashier at a ski resort and sell equipment. I had never even tried snowboarding until a friend took me to ski, and I loved it. Becoming a ski instructor brings me decent income."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Harbin/Changchun, China.
(XHTV)