As winter has truly set in, China's ice and snow economy is thriving. The city of Altay in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the northwest, known as the "snow capital" of the country, is seeing a rise in hotel bookings, while China's northernmost city, Mohe in Heilongjiang Province, is attracting more visitors to its ski resort. Meanwhile, the 11th National Public Ice and Snow Festival kicked off in Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on December 21, 2024.

The ice and snow economy spans a range of industries, including sports, tourism, culture and equipment manufacturing. Boosted by the success of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, ice and snow sports are expanding rapidly nationwide, from northern ski resorts to southern indoor rinks, driving the growth of related sectors and emerging as a new economic trend.

During the 2023-24 winter season, China saw 430 million ice and snow leisure tourist trips, generating 524.7 billion yuan ($71 billion) in tourism revenue, according to the 2025 report on China's ice and snow tourism, released by the China Tourism Academy on January 5. For the 2024-25 winter season, running from November 2024 to March, tourist trips are expected to rise to 520 million, with tourism revenue potentially exceeding 630 billion yuan ($86 billion).

The ice and snow sector has spurred the development of related infrastructure, such as ski resorts and skating rinks, boosting local economies and creating new jobs in areas like coaching and sports services. Sales of winter sports equipment also continue to snowball. In China, the ice and snow trend­—shaped by culture, equipment, and sports—is gradually becoming a part of daily life in the bitter cold of winter.

The Chinese Government actively supports this movement. Last November, the State Council issued guidelines to stimulate this sector by promoting high-quality ice and snow sports development and building a modern industry. The goal is to scale the ice and snow economy to 1.5 trillion yuan ($208 billion) by 2030.

Major measures include, for example, the integration of ice and snow sports into primary and middle school curricula. Local governments are supported in bidding for and hosting related international competitions, while foreign businesses are encouraged to invest in China's ice and snow equipment industry. Regions rich in ice and snow related resources can now seize big business opportunities—ready to ski into success.