Shotlist Changchun City, Jilin Province, northeast China - Jan 6, 2026 1. Various of opening ceremony of mass ice, snow sports season; people skating 2. Various of children singing, dancing 3. Video message from International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry played on big screen 4. Winter Olympic speed skating gold medalists Wu Dajing (L), Zhou Yang (R) reading out proposal 5. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wu Dajing, Chinese Olympic champion: "We call on and encourage everyone to actively participate in winter sports. I believe that instead of staying at home in winter, we should head to ski resorts and ice rinks to feel the warmth brought by the sports amidst the cold." 6. Various of attendees; family 7. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhou Yang, Chinese Olympic champion: "The event is getting better and better with more and more people participating, coming from all over the country. We can see people's enthusiasm for the ice and snow." 8. Various of ice skating, ice hockey, skiing activities 9. Tug of war 10. Aerial shot of crowds at opening ceremony Storyline The 12th National Mass Ice and Snow Season officially got underway on Tuesday with a colorful opening ceremony in Changchun of northeast China's Jilin Province, offering up an array of winter sports activities to visitors of all ages. The event's opening ceremony featured a host of special performances and even had a truly global reach with International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry delivering her congratulations via a video message played on a giant screen. The enthusiasm for winter sports is likely to be boosted this year with the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics set to get underway next month, and Tuesday's event in Changchun also drew on the star power of past Chinese champions. Gold medal-winning speed skaters Zhou Yang and Wu Dajing were on hand in Changchun to jointly read out the "Initiative for Winter Sports," calling on the public to actively participate in ice and snow sports. "We call on and encourage everyone to actively participate in winter sports. I believe that instead of staying at home in winter, we should head to ski resorts and ice rinks to feel the warmth brought by the sports amidst the cold," said Wu, who won a gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. "The event is getting better and better with more and more people participating, coming from all over the country. We can see people's enthusiasm for the ice and snow," said Zhou, who's also a Winter Olympics gold medal winner. This year's mass winter sports drive is set to see over 2,000 mass ice and snow activities being held nationwide over the coming weeks, including a series of competitive events such as a national skiing skills qualifier and an urban cross-country skiing challenge. Localities up and down the country will also create a series of branded ice and snow activities that draw on distinctive local features and are designed to be easy and accessible for greater public participation, enabling more people to delve into the fun of popular winter sports. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has also released a complete directory for ice and snow events taking place across China during the current winter season, aiming to boost travel and effectively transform these events into key consumption growth points. China has in recent years positioned its ice-and-snow economy as a new engine of high-quality growth, especially since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics stirred national enthusiasm for winter sports. The government has set a target for the ice-and-snow economy to reach 1.5 trillion yuan (over 210 billion U.S. dollars) by 2030. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]