Responding to the country's call for more people to participate in ice and snow sports, Ningxia organized the first ski team for teenagers in the county in 2020. It has 60 members from age 7 to 13.

The sport is exciting but also dangerous. But bumps and bruises are nothing to Ma compared with the joy of skiing.

In winter, team members train at the resort. In summer, they roller-skate. Li Yuhe, a girl on the team, set a goal to be like her Olympic idol, Gu Ailing.

Zhe Liancheng, director of the sports center of Jingyuan, said that even though ice and snow sports have had a short history in Ningxia, the children show great potential. The plan is to invite more professional coaches and send children to schools in Northeast China to help them realize their dreams.