STORY: Booming winter economy emerges as new growth area in China's Harbin
SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 4-6, 2025
DATELINE: Feb. 7, 2025
LENGTH: 00:05:31
LOCATION: HARBIN, China
CATEGORY: SPORTS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of ice sports
2. various of Harbin
3. STANDUP 1 (English): LI ZIWEI, Xinhua correspondent
4. STANDUP 2 (English): LI ZIWEI, Xinhua correspondent
5. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): Tourist from Hunan Province
6. various of ice sports
7. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): Tourist from Henan Province
8. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): Tourist from Guangdong Province
9. various of creating ice and snow sculptures
10. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): SONG ZIMIN, Ice sculpture competition participant
11. STANDUP 3 (English): LI ZIWEI, Xinhua correspondent
12. various of ice sculptures
13. SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): XIONG LI, Tourist from Anhui Province
14. SOUNDBITE 6 (Chinese): JI XIAOYU, Tourist from Liaoning Province
15. various of people skating
16. various of ice-and-snow equipment
17. SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): LI XIANGDONG, General manager of Q.M. xue long in Harbin
18. STANDUP 4 (English): LI ZIWEI, Xinhua correspondent
19. various of Harbin Ice-Snow World
20. SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): SUN ZEMIN, Deputy director of the sales and marketing department of Harbin Ice-Snow World Park Co., Ltd.
21. SOUNDBITE 9 (Chinese): ZHANG XIAOMING, Tourist from Guizhou Province
22. SOUNDBITE 10 (English): Tourist from Israel
23. SOUNDBITE 11 (English): CRAIG LAPTHORNE, Tourist from Australia
24. various of Harbin
25. SOUNDBITE 12 (Chinese): YANG QIN, Tourist from Chongqing Municipality
26. SOUNDBITE 13 (Chinese): CAO LUYIN, Tourist from Guangdong Province
27. SOUNDBITE 14 (Chinese): ZHANG GUIHAI, Head of the Heilongjiang Ice and Snow Industry Institute
28. various of Harbin

STORYLINE:

Skiing, snowmen, ice sculptures, and fun sports... Harbin, China's "ice city," is a winter wonderland filled with ice and snow delights.

STANDUP 1 (English): LI ZIWEI, Xinhua correspondent
"Harbin is also the host city for the 9th Asian Winter Games, which runs from Feb. 7 to 14."

It will be Harbin's second time hosting the Games.

More than 1,270 athletes from 34 countries and regions across Asia will compete, making this edition of the Winter Games the largest in terms of participating delegations and athletes.

STANDUP 2 (English): LI ZIWEI, Xinhua correspondent
"Harbin boasts rich ice and snow resources, and winter sports here have a profound tradition."

A diverse range of ice and snow sports is available, including curling, ice hockey, skating, skiing, snowboarding, and snow football.

An official with the Harbin Sports Bureau said that over 300 mass winter sports events are scheduled this winter.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): Tourist from Hunan Province
"Although I can't compete during the Asian Winter Games, I've tried skiing here. It's so much fun."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): Tourist from Henan Province
"I like skating very much. Everyone is so enthusiastic."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): Tourist from Guangdong Province
"In fact, we can enjoy a lot of ice and snow sports in Harbin. And the Asian Winter Games has also boosted our enthusiasm for winter sports."

As enthusiasm for winter sports surges, the knock-on effects for tourism, culture and equipment manufacturing are profound.

In Harbin, the art of creating ice and snow sculptures has a history of at least decades. 

The ice lantern show, initiated in the 1960s, is one of the world's earliest and largest outdoor ice lantern art exhibitions. 

And this winter, multiple ice and snow sculpture competitions have been held in the city, drawing participants from both home and abroad. 

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): SONG ZIMIN, Ice sculpture competition participant
"I've been engaged in creating ice sculpture for over 20 years. The more I did it, the more I liked it."

STANDUP 3 (English): LI ZIWEI, Xinhua correspondent
"It's much more than just carving. Generations of ice sculptors have promoted the techniques of ice sculpting, once considered a vanishing art, to the world."

SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): XIONG LI, Tourist from Anhui Province
"The ice sculptures are truly exceptional."

SOUNDBITE 6 (Chinese): JI XIAOYU, Tourist from Liaoning Province
"The ice sculptures are quite colorful. They are amazing."

The rapid growth of winter sports is injecting fresh momentum into the winter sports equipment industry in the region and beyond.

Now, China boasts a comprehensive suite of 15 categories of ice-and-snow equipment across the supply chain, from headgear to footwear, individual gear to venue equipment, and competitive apparatus to recreational tools.

SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): LI XIANGDONG, General manager of Q.M. xue long in Harbin
"We mainly produce skis and skates. The Asian Winter Games has brought more development opportunities, encouraging more people to participate in ice and snow sports. Thus more people come to purchase our equipment. The booming ice and snow economy has brought us more confidence."

STANDUP 4 (English): LI ZIWEI, Xinhua correspondent
"Last winter, Harbin became a viral sensation on Chinese social media, earning top spot on many travelers' winter wish lists.
This time, taking the opportunity of the Asian Winter Games, Harbin has further enriched its tourism offerings."

Harbin Ice-Snow World, the world's largest ice-and-snow theme park, had welcomed more than 1 million visitors in just 20 days since opening for the season on Dec. 21, a record high.

This winter, the theme park also features elements dedicated to the Asian Winter Games.

SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): SUN ZEMIN, Deputy director of the sales and marketing department of Harbin Ice-Snow World Park Co., Ltd.
"Named 'Love Among Asia,' the main tower takes inspiration from the official emblem of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). Last year, the Ice-Snow World operated for 61 days and received 2.71 million visitors. This year, tourism in Harbin is popular and visitor numbers at Ice-Snow World remain exceptionally high as well."

SOUNDBITE 9 (Chinese): ZHANG XIAOMING, Tourist from Guizhou Province
"The main reason we came here is to see the Harbin Ice-Snow World. The hard work and wisdom of the local people also made us feel proud as Chinese."

SOUNDBITE 10 (English): Tourist from Israel
"(It's) my first time here in Harbin. I've been to many countries and I never see anything close to that. Amazing, only in China."

SOUNDBITE 11 (English): CRAIG LAPTHORNE, Tourist from Australia
"We, first time ever to see this and we'll never forget this. Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!"

Apart from the ice and snow wonders, Harbin is also known for its historical attractions, including the St. Sophia Cathedral, a century-old Byzantine building, and the Chinese Baroque Historic and Cultural Block, which is home to the largest and best-preserved collection of Chinese Baroque architecture. 

SOUNDBITE 12 (Chinese): YANG QIN, Tourist from Chongqing Municipality
"The Western-style buildings here are very beautiful. And so many girls dressed up like 'princesses' to pose for photos, which are awesome."

SOUNDBITE 13 (Chinese): CAO LUYIN, Tourist from Guangdong Province
"Harbin is a charming city. The seasons and culture here are quite different from what we have in the south. What impressed me the most is the warmth and enthusiasm of the people in the northeastern part of China."

The surge in winter tourism in Harbin is part of a broader trend across China's booming ice-and-snow industry. 

Experts attribute the rising popularity of winter sports to the success of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which significantly boosted interest in winter sports and tourism in China.

Now, the Asian Winter Games are also expected to bring new development opportunities to Harbin.

China has unveiled an ambitious plan to grow its ice-and-snow economy, targeting winter sports, tourism and equipment manufacturing as key drivers of economic growth, with the projected value of this economy expected to reach 1.5 trillion yuan (about 205.67 billion USD) by 2030.

SOUNDBITE 14 (Chinese): ZHANG GUIHAI, Head of the Heilongjiang Ice and Snow Industry Institute
"Ice and snow are also invaluable assets. Harbin is hosting the Asian Winter Games for the second time. This could play a very important role in shaping the city's image, boosting industrial development, and upgrading Harbin's position in the regional economy."

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