Winter Sports Economy: Global talents head to China to carve new path amid booming industry
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China's rising enthusiasm for winter sports is attracting professional instructors from across the world. Many say the market has huge potential over the coming years. Our reporter Dai Kaiyi takes us to meet Max Blouin, a Canadian snowboard instructor in China's northeastern Jilin Province who's helping locals carve a future in the sport while developing a special bond with the town he now calls home. 

DAI KAIYI Beidahu Ski Resort, Jilin Province "The ski season comes around again, and I'm here at a ski resort in Jilin, very crowded during the day. You can literally see how passionate China is for snowboarding and skiing. And it draws global talent to slopes. Today we're gonna meet Max. He's from Canada, and he's a snowboarding instructor here at the ski resort. Let's go."

"Nice ride, Max."

Meeting at the bottom of the slope, Max is ready to show me the ropes, starting with a crash course in the basics. 

Max: "Right now, your forward is towards the left. Look forward. Your hands are relaxed by the side."

Dai Kaiyi: "This is a bit harder for me."

Max: "It's okay, it's normal. Now we're creating muscles. We're building muscles that will help us."

Dai Kaiyi: "So I'm going to use muscles I've never used before, right?"

Max: "It's fine. You're gonna get stronger."

MAX BLOUIN Snowboard Instructor, Beidahu Ski Resort "My name is Max. I'm from Canada. I first came in 2018. So far every winter since then, I've been here in Beidahu, China. People here, it's brand new. So for many, you'll see them having their first time experience. Probably that's something that's different from my culture like you're seeing how they're exciting. It's like kind of fun to see like the reaction of peoples and then starting showing them like my passion, what I love and then seeing them grow and actually start loving it and like consuming it. Year after year, even now I've been doing this for over 30 years. There's still way more stuff I need to work on to grow."

Dai Kaiyi: "It's been a good practice man. What do you think it takes to be a good snowboarder?"

Max: "It takes time, love. You need to practice, the more you practice, the easier it becomes. Luckily, you haven't fallen, but through those falls, it's all part of the process."

MAX BLOUIN Snowboard Instructor, Beidahu Ski Resort "For sure, having some Chinese gold medalists and podium like Gu Ailing and Su Yiming helped a lot with the growth in China. And it's quite interesting to see like where it's gonna be in the next 5, 10 years. China has 1.4 billion people. If you look elsewhere in the world, there's not as many people. The opportunities within China are huge. 

Every area has so much like, there's eight great cuisines, I would say, so, many places so good – Xiaolongbao, Biangbiangmian, and there's like so much hot pot. I'm always laughing with people saying Beidahu is now my Chinese hometown. The relationship with people and every year happy to see them. We're always looking forward for those moments riding together or having dinner after. It's a fun experience."

7 years on the slopes here in China, and perhaps, more to come. Max's story perfectly captures the essence of finding one's home away from home. 

Dai Kaiyi, CGTN.