Editor's note: Brandon Yip is the captain of the Chinese men's ice hockey Olympic team. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.

My Winter Olympic journey started five years ago when I received a phone call that would change my life. "Brandon, how would you like to move to China, join The Kunlun Red Star, play in the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League), develop ice hockey in China and represent China in the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games?" I was instantly intrigued and thought to myself, "Wow, what a dream come true and what an amazing opportunity on so many levels."

The first thought that came to my mind was the opportunity to be an Olympian which would fulfill one of my lifetime goals. It started back when I was in 11th grade and my high school teacher told us to write down three life goals. Mine were the following: First, to use ice hockey to receive a full scholarship to university/college because my parents couldn't afford the costs; second, to play professional ice hockey; third, to play ice hockey in the Olympics.

Looking back, I fulfilled two out of the three goals. However, my third goal of competing in the Olympics seemed like a long-lost dream because it was unlikely I would make it to Team Canada. It's funny how life comes full circle sometimes and brings one back to the beginning. Upon receiving the call from the Red Star, I quickly realized the enormous opportunity of playing for the team and country where I have strong ancestral roots. I thought "What an honor it would be to put a Team China jersey on and represent China proudly." Let's do it!

The longer I thought about what was in front of me, things started to look bigger than just me competing in the Olympics and fulfilling my personal goals. You see, ice hockey has been so good to me, it shaped the person I am today, it's opened doors and opportunities that I couldn't have ever imagined, it's been my true love. However, the most important thing that I cherish most about ice hockey is the relationships I have built along the way. And now with this opportunity to build another relationship with 1.4 billion people in China to help pioneer the game I love the most in the country where my family came from was indescribable. The gratitude I feel to give back to ice hockey by helping spread and grow the game to the people of China is immeasurable.

It's been an incredible journey with many ups and downs over the past five years. The team moved base city four times, players got injured, people got replaced, and at times we didn't even know if we were going to be able to participate in the Olympics, all leading up to the games in Beijing. But this entire time, we all had our eyes on the main prize, and that prize was fulfilled these past weeks making everything worth it and more.

Leading up to the Olympics, I was often asked, "What does it feel like?" I always had trouble answering this question. I knew I was excited but it still didn't feel real. Well, it got real during the opening ceremony; that is when it really hit me. To march for China in front of all of our fans was just an incredible experience. I grew up watching Olympic ceremonies on television for so many years, then to be a part of one was truly surreal and really when I realized "Wow, I'm actually at the Olympics."

I remember coming out in the first period of our first game against Team USA. The boys were flying. We kept the game tight at the beginning showing the world that we have arrived and we are going to compete. Although we ended up losing by a large margin, the score was not indicative of the competitiveness of the game. In our next game, we put up a spirited fight against Team Germany but we ended up falling just short and losing 3-2. In the grand scheme of things, losing to a country that has participated at the Olympics for several decades by only one goal felt like a win. I believe this game really showed that China is here and here to stay for many years to follow. We later fell to Team Canada, the ice hockey powerhouse, in the following two games but again, we competed to the end and never gave up for one second. Our spirited matches and our willingness to keep fighting no matter what showed the character of our team and what we stand for and believe in. I was really proud of that.

Looking back on the entire experience, I can't stop thinking about the impact the fans had on our country, our team, and me personally. The outpouring amount of support we received was unmatched. My Instagram and Weibo accounts were filled with messages from thousands of fans from not only China but people from around the world. I only wish I could get back to everyone, but I hope everyone who reached out knows that we truly appreciate it and are very thankful. From my point of view, this really amplifies the Chinese community and how close we are. It didn't matter where you were currently living or where you were born, everyone was following Team China and it was very moving to see. The fans who could attend our matches also played a huge role in our efforts to compete at our best. We could hear the crowds chanting "Jiayou! Jiayou! Jiayou!" all game and it just made it so much easier to play knowing that we had that kind of support behind us. We are just so thankful for all the support the Chinese have given us throughout our time in China, it was just an amazing feeling and experience.

Now that the Olympics are over and the torch has been blown out, it doesn't seem like the end but the start of a new era – a new era of ice hockey in China. I believe that with the collective efforts from all of us we can spread the game throughout China with the goal of becoming an ice hockey powerhouse in the near future.

We can start by just putting an ice hockey stick and a ball in children's hands in the gym or schoolyard. You don't necessarily need ice to start playing; that is actually how I started. I just played with my father outside on the street before I hit the ice and learned how to skate. We can build out ice hockey schools all over China and educate everyone on the rules and skills needed to play. I also believe having our team The Kunlun Red Star can hopefully move back to China and play in Beijing or Shanghai and create a fan base and following to really create ice hockey waves and help expand our efforts of growing the game.

There are just endless opportunities that will come from this entire experience and I can't wait to see what the future holds for ice hockey in China. If I can turn on the television in 10, 20, 30, years from now and see homegrown Chinese ice hockey players competing in the Olympics or a player being drafted to the NHL in the first round, then we know that we have done our jobs as pioneers to the sport. Like we have been saying all along: "This is just the beginning."

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