Winter games have been popular in ancient times and experienced a long process of development.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were large-scale winter sports activities in Beijing. the Shichahai Lake Rink on the west side of the Forbidden City in Beijing was a “skating oval” for the royal members. In the last month of the lunar calendar, a vast winter sports game would be held there. Today, the Shichahai Lake Rink is still a must-see for both old and young Beijingers.
Besides, both Nordic region and China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region have a long history of skiing. The world’s appeal to winter games is inherited from the past to the present.
Beijing, the host of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, is about to have new sparks with Olympics. Once densely smoky, the Shougang Steel Plant has been transformed into an eco-friendly Winter Olympics park. The Guyangshu Valley of Zhangjiakou, co-host city for the Beijing 2022, was once a barren mountain. It has turned into a comprehensive Olympic Park including modern venues such as the National Ski Jumping Center and the National Cross-country Skiing Center. Beijing Subway’s special line for the Winter Olympic was also put into operation.
As of October 2021, 346 million people in China had participated in winter sports, with a participation rate of 24.56%. China has achieved its goal of encouraging 300 million people to participate in winter sports. Today, the winter sports are gaining increasing popularity in China.
What if people from the Qing Dynasty in favor of winter sports, the Vikings from the Nordic areas, the people from Altay of Xinjiang, and the visit the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics?
China Matters produced the animated video When Ancient Athletes Meet Modern Winter Games. This animated video examines the development of winter sports from the perspective of a group of “time travelers”, conveying China’s wish to encourage more people to join winter sports.
In the form of MG animation, the animated video exhibits the historical relics such as the cliff painting depicting skiing activities in Altay of Xinjiang and Norwegian ancient snowboards. It tells the story of winter sports making their way around China.
Contact: Tan Jiaqing
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