Feature: Winter sports create business opportunities in NW China mountain town

XI'AN, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Wang Linghua is still reminiscent of the scene in his childhood: His family made a living by raising vegetables, and residents in his hometown usually played mahjong and drank at home during the winter.

Now, the 26-year-old resident of Taibai County in northwest China's Shaanxi Province works at the Aoshan Ski Resort along with his wife Long Jing.

"We were at work in the ski resort even on Chinese New Year Eve. Although I'm responsible for purchasing, I need to assist my colleagues in leasing equipment to skiers during the busy time," Wang said, adding that some villagers came as temporary workers in the ski season and went back home for farming in April.

Ji Lijiang, head of the Aoshan Ski Resort, collaborated with his friends to run the Beidahu Ski Resort in northeast China's Jilin Province back in 2015 when Beijing won the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. After hearing that, Ji made the decision to develop a ski resort in his hometown in Shaanxi.

"Aoshan is a perfect location for me to realize my ambition. Skiers can travel from different cities, including Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Zhengzhou and Lanzhou, to Taibai in five hours at most. Taibai also attracts tourists during the summer, which led to my decision to invest here," Ji said.

Wang Xiaobo, a Xi'an resident, had a pleasant skiing experience in Aoshan. A businessman when the ski resort was open to public in 2016, Wang began to sell the ski resort's tickets as an agent, and sell ski equipment with more Chinese people taking part in winter sports.

"My earnings during this Spring Festival holiday were up 30% compared with those in 2022," said Wang.

Li Lin, a well-known skier from southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, was impressed by the comfortable temperatures and top-notch facilities when he skied in Aoshan for the first time in 2020.

"Then I promoted the ski resort to my friends in Sichuan Province, and they decided to come to ski here," said Li.

Li opened a hotel in Taibai in January 2022, and invited chefs from Sichuan to cater to specific requirements of guests for hometown cuisine.

12 hotels, 110 homestays and over 400 catering enterprises have been opened over the past seven years in Taibai, one tenth of whose people are engaged in winter sports or other related industries.

"We are in a golden age and should treasure the opportunities brought on by winter sports," Ji said.