Winter sports booming across China

Many Chinese people have flocked to enjoy the fun of skiing, snowboarding and skating as winter sets in across the country.

On Saturday, a winter sports festival kicked off in Yinchuan City, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, attracting more than 1,000 tourists to immerse themselves in the season of ice and snow.

Data show that about 300,000 people participate in winter sports every year in the city, generating consumption of about 20 million yuan (about 2.75 million U.S. dollars).

"In winter, people may not feel comfortable doing indoor sports. In a snowy area, there is sunshine and people can enjoy speed and work up a sweat. Exercising outdoors makes me feel quite good," said Niu Yunming, a skier.

Recently, many ski resorts have opened in north China's Shanxi Province, attracting skiers and snowboarders to have fun.

"I have wanted to ski for a long time. When I heard that Yunqiu Mountain is open for skiing, I hurried over. After all, the ski resort is located close to my home. It is convenient for me to come here. And today it's snowing. I feel great when I ski," said Qu Zichao, a skier. Similarly, enthusiasm has grown for ice-and-snow sports in central China's Henan Province.

A ski resort in Luoyang City received more than 2,600 visitors on its first day of operation.

"Skiing is like flying. I really like it. It is very exciting and fun," said Fan Jiashu, a skier.

The influx of winter sports lovers has significantly driven up local business for ski equipment rental and sales, as well as homestays and hotels.

"As the new ski season began, we have seen a surge in demand. All of our 3,500 sets of ski equipment have been rented out, an increase of more than 30 percent over last year," said Li Yang, head of a ski resort.

"We have 400 guest rooms. The occupancy rate is about 85 percent on weekdays, and it's hard to book a room on holidays and weekends," said Liu Junjiang, head of a hotel.

Across Shanghai, ice skating rinks and roller skating rinks have been set up, with a 1,000-square-meter outdoor ice skating rink opening in the downtown by the Huangpu River area after renovation .

Winter sports booming across China

A panda family of four in Macao has won the hearts of an increasing number of people with their fluffy appearance and adorable behaviors, attracting 290,000 visitors last year.

A pair of giant pandas Kaikai and Xinxin were chosen as a gift of the central government to the Macao Special Administrative Region in 2015. They gave birth to twin brothers Jianjian and Kangkang in Macao in 2016. The panda family is now living a happy and leisured life.

"This is our Kangkang, the younger twin. He's a little smaller in size and has a more pointed face, just like his dad Kaikai. He's also very smart and always gains affection of his breeders by acting in a cutesy manner," said a panda caretaker.

In the panda pavilion, Macao's Seac Pai Van Park, the panda family receives attentive care from their zoo keepers. They enjoy fresh local bamboo, fruit, and high-fiber biscuits every day, with special fruit and bamboo cakes on their birthdays.

"They're actually quite familiar with us. Since they're now adult pandas, we can't interact with them the same way we did when they were younger, like being in the same space. However, we still have regular interactions, such as touching them safely, which they seem to enjoy. Sometimes we clean biscuit crumbs off their mouth or nose. This helps them get used to our voices and smells, building their trust in us, which makes it easier to carry out medical checks for them," said the caretaker.

As the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to China draws near, an increasing number of locals are visiting the park to see the panda family, wishing for them to thrive in Macao and bring even more happiness to the people, just as their names suggest.

Giant pandas in Macao capture hearts of visitors

Giant pandas in Macao capture hearts of visitors