Shandong athlete Li Fanghui clinched the first gold medal for the Chinese delegation at the 9th Asian Winter Games (AWG) on Feb 8. This historic victory also marked Shandong's first-ever gold medal at the event.

The achievement has ignited enthusiasm for winter sports among the people of Shandong, who are cheering on and supporting the province's athletes through various winter sports activities.

People engage in winter sports in Shandong. [WeChat account: shandongshengtiyuju]

Among the province's 58 ski resorts and 14 ice rinks, the number of people partaking in winter sports is steadily rising. Shandong's vibrant winter sports scene beautifully complements the ongoing Harbin AWG.

"During Spring Festival, our ski resort welcomed over 12,000 visitors, with the highest single-day attendance exceeding 2,200," said Liu Qinghong from a ski resort in Jinan, Shandong's capital city.

"Visitors from outside the region account for 40 percent of total visitors," she added.

Furthermore, according to Culaishan Ski Resort in Tai'an, with the momentum created by the AWG, the entire snowy season is expected to see around 50,000 visitors, a significant increase over previous years.

The 8th Shandong Winter National Fitness Games kicked off in Tai'an with the opening of the Harbin AWG.

Over 200 participants, including 16 teams from nine cities in the province and 20 individual athletes from other provinces, competed in the single and double-board giant slalom event.

As of Feb 9, over 2,600 people were participating directly, with 12,000 individuals involved in other ways, a substantial increase over the event's previous edition.