A series of ski competitions and related activities will be held during the 2019-2020 snow season after the 19th China Chongli International Ski Festival kicked off on Saturday in Chongli district, Zhangjiakou, North China's Hebei province.

The festival will last till the end of March. A total of 191 events and competitions will be held during the period.

Chongli district, about 150 kilometers northwest of the capital, will co-host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games together with Beijing.

According to the local government, the region now boasts seven well-known ski resorts and a total of 169 slopes, forming the largest winter sports venue cluster in the country.

In November, the beginning of a new snow season, the region received more than 230,000 tourists, a 7 percent rise over the same period of last year, the government said.