Unlocking industrial dividends of northeast China

Editor's note: Zhou Jianjun is an assistant researcher at the Institute of National Systems and School of Economics at Zhejiang University. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN. It has been translated from Chinese and edited for brevity and clarity.

As stated at a meeting in September 2023 on promoting the full revitalization of northeast China in the new era, "it is imperative to intensify the conservation and utilization of ecological resources, and make full use of the region's advantages in ecological environment and biological resources, so as to develop modern biology, big data and other emerging industries with characteristics, and boost the development of the ice and snow economy and the marine economy". Therefore, northeast China must fully utilize its ecological endowments, tap into its ice and snow resources, and vigorously develop the ice and snow economy to unlock the region's industrial dividends and realize the strategy of its revitalization as soon as possible.

Revitalizing northeast China requires emerging industries to play a leading role, and the ice and snow economy could become a new engine for the region's economy

Dubbed the "eldest son of the People's Republic of China", northeast China offered robust support for construction across the country in the early years after the founding of the People's Republic of China with its advantageous resources. However, since the start of reform and opening-up in the early 1980s, particularly after China joined the WTO in 2001, the region has been struggling to seize the strategic opportunities brought by opening-up, and has lost its growth momentum, resulting its economic development gradually lagging behind the coastal provinces in the southeast. Among the current emerging industries, the ice and snow economy is one that the country has strongly promoted in recent years but has yet to develop on a large scale. Seizing the strategic opportunities presented by the ice and snow economy and creating a new economic engine are important measures for revitalizing northeast China.

Boasting exceptional ecological endowments and abounding in ice and snow resources, northeast China has outstanding advantages in developing the ice and snow economy

The ice and snow economy poses high requirements for natural resources and ecological endowments, and northeast China has a distinct advantage over other regions in this regard. The region's high latitude, low winter temperatures, high-quality snow, and long snow seasons make it ideal for ice and snow sports and tourism. In 2025, Harbin is hosting the 9th Asian Winter Games, which is another major international ice and snow spectacle held in China following the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. This event will effectively drive the development of ice and snow sports in northeast China. 

Meanwhile, Harbin is also the birthplace of Chinese ice and snow sculpture art, hailed as the "Ice City". The ice sculptures, snow sculptures, ice buildings, and ice lanterns have shaped Harbin's unique atmosphere in winter, advancing the development of snow and ice tourism. According to the Report on China's Ice and Snow Tourism Development (2025), the 2023-2024 snow season saw China receive 430 million ice and snow tourists, generating a revenue of over 524.7 billion yuan (about $73.9 billion). For the 2024-2025 snow season, the ice and snow leisure tourism sector is expected to receive over 520 million visitors, with its revenue exceeding 630 billion yuan (over $86 billion). Northeast China can fully utilize its ecological advantages and tap into the potential of the ice and snow economy, continuously releasing industrial dividends, which will contribute to the region's revitalization.

Northeast China has a solid industrial base, which can support the creation of a complete ice and snow industrial chain in the region

The development of the snow economy cannot rely solely on ice and snow tourism. Moreover, it requires building a complete ice and snow industrial chain. Northeast China can develop such a complete industrial chain based on the construction and operation of ice and snow facilities, with ice and snow sports at the core, ice and snow tourism as a key feature, and the manufacturing of ice and snow equipment as its support. 

On the one hand, the region can strenuously promote the ice and snow culture, develop ice and snow sports, and boost tourism revenues through ice and snow tourism. 

On the other hand, it can develop technologies and equipment for ice and snow activities, such as sledges, skis, winter coats, and snowmobiles, which would foster the growth of related manufacturing industries. 

In addition, the region can further tap into the development potential of the ice and snow economy. For example, northeast China can build large data centers to develop the digital economy, as its naturally low temperatures would help with cooling and reduce cooling costs in these centers. 

The region's year-round cold climate also makes it an ideal location for expanding the cultivation of ginseng, the breeding of rare fur-bearing animals and fur processing, and other specialty agricultural products, thus extending the agricultural industrial chain. 

By integrating primary, secondary, and tertiary industries and building a complete ice and snow industrial chain based on its ice and snow resources, northeast China can increase the share of emerging industries in its industrial structure, facilitate industrial transformation and upgradation, and thus contribute to the strategic goal of regional revitalization.

To seize the strategic opportunities presented by the ice and snow economy and drive the revitalization of northeast China through industrial development, the region should do well in the following aspects:

First, vigorous efforts must be made to improve the region's three-dimensional transportation infrastructure to enhance its accessibility. The ice and snow economy is a consumer sector, but northeast China is quite isolated with considerable transportation limitations. Expanding air routes and direct high-speed rail services will save travel time, reduce transportation costs for tourists, and improve the overall travel experience for consumers. 

Second, northeast China should focus on attracting all kinds of talent to drive industrial and regional revitalization through talent agglomeration. Talent is a valuable resource for economic growth, and northeast China's talent drain has been hindering its revitalization. By introducing more favorable policies to attract talented individuals from various fields to work and start businesses in the region, northeast China can overcome the challenge of talent loss, particularly the outflow of young talent. 

Third, it is essential to work more closely with other regions in industrial development and address the region's developmental gaps through inter-regional collaboration. While northeast China has distinct advantages in resources needed to advance the ice and snow economy, it has weaknesses, such as insufficient vitality in emerging industries and the private sector. The region can enhance industrial collaboration with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta. This would facilitate the influx of advantageous capital, technology, and emerging industries, help cultivate more high-quality market players in the ice and snow economy, optimize the business environment, and boost market vitality. By fostering endogenous drivers, these efforts will propel the revitalization of Northeast China through internal growth.