Inside Shougang Park: Serenity now before the upcoming Winter Olympics

Photo taken on Nov. 30, 2021, shows the scenery of Shougang Park in Shijingshan District, Beijing. (People’s Daily Online/Peng Yukai)

Shougang Park, a steel mill-turned cultural and sports complex in Shijingshan District in western Beijing, became the headquarters of the Organizing Committee for the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and some game venues starting in 2016, and is now set to play host to several of the Games’ sporting event venues come 2022.

Founded in 1919, Shougang, meaning "capital steel" in Chinese, is an epitome of China's industrial history. Entering into the 21st century, Shougang was later relocated to neighboring Hebei province in 2010, and the vast complex was then included into the first batch of China's industrial heritage protection list.

The remains of the former repair workshop, coking plant, and blast furnace retain the "steel memory" of the past, while the ice and snow sports facilities, such as ski jumping platforms, have now come to attract people's attention.

As the 2022 Winter Olympics approach, Shougang Park is ready to embrace all of the world’s athletes for a giant ice and snow carnival, when they will converge on the city to partake in scheduled sporting competitions.