Exemplary spirit

On Saturday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said via video link in his keynote speech at the 58th Munich Security Conference that on the Winter Olympics stage, "even the fiercest competitors can compete peacefully and encourage each other, because their aim is not to defeat each other, but to surpass themselves".

"Such a spirit should also be the way to get along with each other as nations," Wang added.

Even though Beijing 2022 has ended, China remains a huge global market for the ice and snow economy.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, by last month more than 346 million people in China had taken up winter sports since 2015. Tu Xiaodong, an official from the General Administration of Sport, described this as "the most significant legacy and the first gold medal of the Beijing Winter Olympics".

Over the past seven years, the nation has witnessed rapid improvements in winter sports infrastructure, equipment manufacturing, tourism and related education.

It has independently mastered the manufacturing of high-end snow wax trucks and bobsleighs, and has also built numerous ice rinks and indoor and outdoor ski resorts. Statistics show that by the beginning of last year, China boasted 654 standard ice rinks and 803 ski resorts, respective rises of 317 percent and 41 percent compared with 2015.

Winter sports in China used to be confined to the northeast, but now encompass the entire country. Statistics show there are 186 million ice and snow sports participants in the north of China and 161 million in the south.

Skiing has become popular among many people, particularly the young. Red, a lifestyle-sharing social network, carries more than 490,000 posts under the keyword "ski", with users sharing details of their equipment, experiences and instruction.

The growing passion for winter sports has fueled the booming winter tourism industry.

The China Ice and Snow Tourism Development report for this year states that the number of winter leisure tourism trips during the 2020-21 snow season reached 254 million, compared with 170 million in 2016-17. The figure is expected to rise to 305 million in 2021-22, generating revenue of 323.3 billion yuan ($50.98 billion).

Bach, the IOC president, said in his speech at the closing ceremony for Beijing 2022 that with more than 300 million people now taking part in winter sports in China, "the positive legacy of these Olympic Games is ensured." He added, "We welcome China as a winter sport country."

Ru Xiuying, from Capital University of Physical Education and Sports, said the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, again stunned the world with the opening ceremony for Beijing 2022 on Feb 4.China showed that people were central to everything and that it actively practiced the concept of a community with a shared future for humankind, Ru said.

She added that the nation successfully organized an Olympic Games with unity, vitality and safety during the pandemic, fulfilled its commitment to engage more than 300 million people in ice and snow activities, and practiced a "green Olympics" for sustainable development. China also put into practice the International Olympic Committee's vision of "building a better world through sport".

"After seven years of preparation, China has shown the world it has truly made a new contribution to the global Olympic cause," Ru said.