Chinese Spring Festival: Ski resorts inspiring love of sports during holiday

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Spring Festival is associated with many customs and traditional activities. And now, some people are adding outdoor activities to the list. Ski resorts are seeing their numbers sliding higher during the holidays, as visitors come to enjoy the slopes with their family and friends. Our reporter Hu Chao reports from a man-made ski resort there in Shanxi Province.

Put on a ski outfit, set your feet on a pair of skis and enjoy the speed and passion while sliding down the slope. Skiing has become a popular sport for the Spring Festival. A resort in the city of Datong in north China's Shanxi Province has received around 4,000 visitors a day since the festival started -- five times more than usual.

HU CHAO DATONG, SHANXI PROVINCE As a matter of fact, ice and snow sports in Shanxi are not as popular as in northeast China. But during this Spring Festival holiday, this ski resort has seen a record high number of people coming to have fun with their family and friends. The charm of winter sports is attracting more and more Chinese people.

Many visitors say bringing their family to do some outdoor activities is more interesting than just staying at home.

SKI RESORT VISITOR DATONG, SHANXI PROVINCE Female, NEED DUB "I came here with my family, and I didn't expect the place would have so many visitors. It's great to see more people are choosing to do outdoor activities during the holiday."

SKI RESORT VISITOR DATONG, SHANXI PROVINCE Female, NEED DUB "In the past, we often spent the holiday eating and drinking, either at home or in a restaurant. Now we prefer to go out to places like this. This ski resort is so great."

Many believe doing the sport together improves communication between family members.

SKI RESORT VISITOR DATONG, SHANXI PROVINCE "Although my son falls sometimes when he's skiing, we still feel so happy doing this sport together."

SKI RESORT VISITOR DATONG, SHANXI PROVINCE "Spring Festival is about families reuniting. Skiing here together helps to improve the family relationship."

Ski resort officials say the number of skiing lovers across the country has soared in recent years.

DUAN JIANJUN, DEPUTY MANAGER DATONG WANLONG BAIDENGSHAN SKI RESORT "After China won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, the number of visitors to many ski resorts has increased by around 30% percent a year."

Hu Chao, CGTN, Datong, Shanxi Province.