The recently held Central Economic Work Conference has made "adhering to the leading role of domestic demand and building a strong domestic market" a key task deployment. During the snow season, from the north to the whole country, from winter to all seasons, the hot ice and snow economy is driving new consumption scenarios, regional development, and industrial ecology. I once said that before and after the Beijing Winter Olympics, China's winter sports will undergo earth shaking changes, and this has been proven by facts. ”Bach, Honorary President for Life of the International Olympic Committee, said, "As far as I know, there are currently over 300 million people participating in ice and snow sports in China, which has opened up a new dimension for world winter sports. The growth in participation scale and facility construction will continue to promote the development of winter sports." The "Research Report on the Development of China's Ice and Snow Industry (2025)" shows that the scale of China's ice and snow industry will exceed one trillion yuan by 2025. During the 2024-2025 ice and snow season, the total consumption scale exceeded 187.5 billion yuan, of which the consumption amount of ski resorts reached 78.613 billion yuan. Professor Wang Zhaohong from Beijing Normal University believes that cultivating and strengthening the ice and snow economy is a powerful tool to implement the concept of "ice and snow are also mountains of gold and silver" and drive 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports. It is also an important measure to meet the needs of the masses for sports and promote economic and social development. Individual: From witnessing the Winter Olympics to lifting the "snow rice bowl" during the snow season, the homestay courtyard at the foot of Xiaohaituo Mountain in Yanqing, Beijing has once again experienced a peak in foot traffic. The owner Lang Enge often climbs to the top floor when he has free time, gazing at the National Alpine Skiing Center "Snow Swallows" at the Winter Olympics venue. In 2017, taking advantage of the preparation for the Winter Olympics, he formed the Yanqing Haituo Farmers' Ski Team with more than ten fellow villagers and served as the team captain. The team members are almost all villagers, including those who raise sheep, grow apples, and sell second-hand cars... They work during the day and practice together at night. At its peak, the team consisted of nearly a hundred people. The more people there are, the greater the responsibility, and we must lead everyone to play a greater role. ”Lang Enge said that he and his team members went into schools and communities to promote ice and snow sports, and he also became a Winter Olympics torchbearer and city volunteer. Driven by the Winter Olympics, Yanqing's popularity and tourist numbers have greatly increased. Many villagers in Zhangshanying Town have transformed their old houses into homestays, and Lang Enge is one of them. Some of the guests staying at the homestay also go skiing in Yanqing, and I am willing to chat with them. If given the opportunity, I still want to reorganize this farmer skiing team and establish a skiing station at the foot of Xiaohaituo Mountain, providing a platform for snow enthusiasts to communicate and retain tourists, driving the development of surrounding catering and cultural tourism industries. ”Lang Enge said. At the same time, in Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, 200 kilometers away, photojournalist Wu Diansen continuously recorded one snow season after another in Chongli with his lens. During the Beijing Winter Olympics, he served as the Deputy Manager of Photography for the Genting Venue Complex and witnessed the "Ice and Snow Miracle" of this small city with many Winter Olympics enthusiasts. I started working at Zhangjiakou Daily in 2004 and have been a photojournalist ever since. In my camera, Chongli has transformed from a county town with streets and small bungalows to an international town with high-rise buildings. The feeling is very wonderful. ”Wu Diansen still remembers the location of the Winter Olympics Village, the National Ski Jumping Center "Xueruyi", and the ancient poplar tree venue group. It used to be a poor mountain valley covered with dusty dirt houses, but now it has become a shining venue group in the world. It is indeed a revolutionary change. I looked through the previous photos and couldn't recognize it at all. ”He exclaimed. In addition to hardware conditions, there have also been many changes in Chongli people. From many locals who open restaurants, ski shops, or work in the ice and snow industry, it can be seen that everyone is more confident, knows more and more, and can chat better. Through the viewfinder, Wu Diansen recorded the development of a city and the transformation of a group of people. The story of Lang Enge and Wu Diansen is not an isolated case. In Northeast China, many villagers near ski resorts have transformed into snowmakers, coaches, or run homestays; In Xinjiang, ancient fur skiing techniques have become a tourist experience, bringing additional income to herders. The ice and snow industry truly provides people with diversified paths to increase income and become prosperous. Region: The stories of individuals from the northern snow season to the entire region converge into regional changes. In the post Winter Olympics era, China's ice and snow economy has broken through the geographical and psychological boundaries of "Shanhaiguan", expanding from the traditional advantageous regions of Northeast and North China to the national level, forming a diversified regional development pattern with multiple blooming points and distinctive characteristics. In the resource rich northern region, the development theme has shifted from scale expansion to deep cultivation of quality and integration of business formats. Taking Harbin as an example, during the 2024-2025 ice and snow season, the local area achieved a historic breakthrough of 90.357 million visitors and a total tourism revenue of 137.22 billion yuan by creating ice and snow art to the extreme, deeply integrating Russian style customs with Northeastern folk customs, and enhancing the service temperature of the whole city, maximizing the value of regional cultural IP. Yabuli, Changbai Mountain and other ski resorts have consolidated their core customer appeal by improving the intelligence level of ski facilities, enriching high-end accommodation and health products. The rapid development of the ice and snow industry has also brought new ideas to local development, and people are starting to think about possibilities outside of the snow season. Chongli is implementing a strategic transformation from "one season of fire" to "four seasons of prosperity". In 2024, the number of summer tourists in Chongli reached 4.3 million, surpassing winter for the first time. By creating events such as the Chongli 168 Super Off road Race and Chongli Marathon, the local area converts traffic into consumption energy and builds a complete sports tourism ecosystem. This not only reduces seasonal fluctuations, but also builds a year-round tourism destination ecology centered on outdoor activities. Nowadays, Chongli has even become an ideal destination for some Southeast Asian travelers, with increasing popularity and internationalization. Professor Wang Xiaoyu from Beijing Sport University said, "Under the stimulation of consumption and the expansion of scenarios, sports tourism represented by ice and snow sports will rapidly increase in scale; the outdoor industry will benefit and form an industrial chain cluster. Famous international and domestic event IPs will be greatly enriched, while enhancing core attraction, expanding consumption of sports, culture, tourism, and reflecting economic multiplier effects. ”With the expansion of ice and snow sports from the south, west, and east, geographical and seasonal limitations are being broken. Even in the snow free south, people can enjoy the fun of ice and snow sports. The "Research Report on the Popular Ice and Snow Consumption Market (2024-2025 Ice and Snow Season)" released by the Winter Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China shows that as of April 2025, there are 79 indoor ski resorts (real snow) in China, an increase of 20, or 33.9%. From the distribution of indoor ski resorts, the most concentrated are in East and South China, with a total of 24 indoor ski resorts in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Guangdong, accounting for 30.38% of the total number of indoor ski resorts in the country. There are also many snow fields distributed in provinces such as Hubei in central China and Guizhou in southwestern China. These "big refrigerators" built in urban areas or suburbs are almost year-round, meeting the demand of southern consumers to experience skiing nearby. At the same time, innovative technology products such as simulated skiing machines and dry snow blankets have also entered communities, shopping malls, and campuses, further lowering the threshold for experience and truly integrating ice and snow sports into the daily lives of the public. Industry: From participation boom to trillion yuan in the future. The "Research Report on the Development of China's Ice and Snow Industry (2025)" points out that the scale of China's ice and snow industry will exceed one trillion yuan by 2025. According to relevant data, during the 2024-2025 ice and snow season, the number of residents participating in ice and snow sports nationwide reached 292 million, with a participation rate of 20.61%, an increase of about 27.44 million people from the previous season, and a participation rate increase of 1.93 percentage points. The Central Economic Work Conference pointed out that 'economic potential must be fully tapped'. The enthusiasm for public participation has formed a complete industrial chain for ice and snow sports, covering equipment manufacturing, event operation, training services, and cultural tourism integration, providing many potential spaces for industrial development. According to data from the skiing section of Xiaohongshu, from beginners who rent equipment, to enthusiasts who purchase personalized snowboards, and to "audiophiles" who pursue top-level equipment, the consumer end is showing a clear trend of youthfulness, fashion, family oriented, and specialization. This has given rise to a huge consumer market centered around equipment appearance, technological performance, and personalized customization, with consumer levels continuously segmented and explored from entry-level leasing to high-end customization. The vitality on the demand side strongly drives innovation on the supply side. According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China has formed 15 major categories of ice and snow equipment product systems, with the number of related enterprises increasing from about 300 in 2015 to around 900 in 2023. Sales revenue has also increased from less than 5 billion yuan in 2015 to around 22 billion yuan in 2023. Ice and snow are turning into mountains of gold and silver. At the production workshop of Baining Dun Sports Equipment Co., Ltd. in Changchun, Jilin Province, workers are rushing to make orders for ice skates and ice skates. This company, founded in 2009, has undergone years of continuous development, expanding its product range and doubling its factory area. Its ice skate production has grown from an initial annual output of 50 pairs to over 10000 pairs today, and has now been sold to more than 40 countries and regions overseas. On the international stage, athletes from teams such as South Korea, Canada, the Netherlands, Russia, and the United Kingdom wear the "boots" exclusively customized by the company for them. This year, in addition to a significant increase in demand for high-end products tailored for athletes, orders for ice skates suitable for novice ice skating enthusiasts are also on the rise. Nowadays, workers are working overtime every day to catch up, and overseas orders have doubled in size. ”The founder of the company, Wang Yang, said. In addition, domestic snowboard and ski suit brands are gradually rising, integrating Chinese design, optimizing for Asian body shapes, and combining intelligent wearable technology to form unique competitiveness. Breakthroughs have been made in key equipment fields such as carbon fiber skis, indoor skiing simulators, and snow wax carts, which are also driving the ice and snow industry to further upgrade towards "smart manufacturing". How can the ice and snow economy heat up by leveraging the trillion dollar market? Individuals, regions, and industries provided answers separately. (New Society)