Xinhua
26 Jan 2022, 10:00 GMT+10
HAIKOU, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Donning a red T-shirt and a helmet, Ran Yixin slides in a zigzag from the top of an indoor artificial ski slope in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province.
Hainan is the southernmost tropical province in China. In January, when many people in north China wear down jackets to keep warm amid heavy snowfall, people in Hainan are most likely wearing T-shirts, and some local people have never seen snow in real life.
Ran, 26, is an investment promotion supervisor. She started skiing three months ago and feels lucky to have a skiing training club in such a warm place.
"I have been looking for a place close to home where I can learn and practice skiing, and luckily, this is the ideal place," said Ran.
The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games are scheduled from Feb. 4 to 20, followed by the Paralympics, and have stirred up passion for winter sports in China. Even people in China's warm areas, such as Hainan, have started participating in ice-snow sports.
The indoor skiing training field where Ran practices, Skinow, opened in December 2018.
Skinow manager Zhang You chose to open the club in Hainan to develop ice-snow sports so people here can embrace winter sports as northern people do.
"People are eager to join in winter sports thanks to the Beijing Winter Olympics. Our initial goal is to cultivate the ice-snow sports spirit and share the spirit and happiness with more enthusiasts," Zhang said.
The club currently has more than 500 members aged 5 to 45. More people fall in love with ice-snow sports because people get to know winter sports better, Zhang added.
Li Qi, 22, is a ski instructor at the club. Born in Heilongjiang in northeast China, Li has practiced skiing for 12 years. He went to college in Haikou and became a part-time instructor at Skinow in 2018.
After graduation, he became a full-time ski instructor there. He is in charge of making class appointments for members and teaching them skiing skills.
"I am a fan of ice-snow sports. I am happy to see more Chinese people interested in winter sports, even in warm areas. Lots of youngsters come to us to learn skiing techniques as the Beijing Winter Olympics approach," Li said.
Ran Yixin said she is most impressed by Chinese star freeskier Eileen Gu.
"She is 18 years old and a skiing genius," Ran said. "I will watch the games at home, and I hope she has a great performance at the Beijing Winter Olympics," said Ran.
Get a daily dose of Singapore Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Singapore Star.
More InformationATLANTA, Georgia: The United States is facing its worst measles outbreak in more than three decades, with 1,288 confirmed cases so...
In the past month alone, 23 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza—three more than the number of remaining living hostages held...
LONDON, U.K.: At least 13 people are believed to have taken their own lives as a result of the U.K.'s Post Office scandal, in which...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Travelers at U.S. airports will no longer need to remove their shoes during security screenings, Department of Homeland...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: An elaborate impersonation scheme involving artificial intelligence targeted senior U.S. and foreign officials in...
SLUBICE, Poland: Poland reinstated border controls with Germany and Lithuania on July 7, following Germany's earlier reintroduction...
REDMOND, Washington: Artificial intelligence is transforming Microsoft's bottom line. The company saved over US$500 million last year...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A federal rule designed to make it easier for Americans to cancel subscriptions has been blocked by a U.S. appeals...
BASTROP, Texas: In a surprising turn at Elon Musk's X platform, CEO Linda Yaccarino announced she is stepping down, just months after...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak will return to Goldman Sachs in an advisory role, the Wall Street...
LONDON, U.K.: Physically backed gold exchange-traded funds recorded their most significant semi-annual inflow since the first half...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: Some 32 percent of global semiconductor production could face climate change-related copper supply disruptions...