From steel to snow, the transformation of China's northeast region

CHANGCHUN -- Sliding down a high ramp and performing gravity-defying tricks and twists, over 300 athletes from across the country compete in a freestyle skiing competition held at Changbai Mountain Heping ski resort in northeast China's Jilin Province.

"When I was a child, my impression of northeast China was all about steelmaking and coal mining, a place that had its days of glory and decline," said Wang Wancen, a skier from Jiangsu, "Now, it's an ice-and-snow paradise for us young people."

Northeast China, consisting of Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang provinces, is known for its rich ice-and-snow resources.

The region, once the nation's heavy-industry heartland, has seen an escalating winter sports boom and found golden opportunities courtesy of its silvery snow in recent years.

About 100 km from the resort, there is a centuries-old village called Jinjiang, where all residential houses are made of wood. In the past, villagers made a living by farming and logging, and many young people moved away to work in cities.

Today, driven by ice-and-snow tourism, Jinjiang has become an internet sensation. "Some guests have booked rooms for the next snow season, and now the business in the village is getting better and better," said Yu Yanxia, a villager who runs a homestay in Jinjiang.

The change seen in Jinjiang Village is a microcosm of the northeast region maintaining advantages while promoting innovation and development in recent years.

Northeast China is the country's old industrial base, which was once called the "rust belt" because of the difficulties encountered in transformation and development.

However, in recent years, multiple places in the region have vigorously developed the ice-and-snow economy, which accelerated the updating of its industrial structure.

Fushun City in Liaoning, once known as the "capital of coal," produced the first tonne of aluminum, the first tonne of silicon, and the first mechanical excavator in the country.

However, the industrial powerhouse was listed as a resource-exhausted city in 2009, prompting the city to focus on ice-and-snow tourism.

Thanks to its abundant ice-and-snow resources, Fushun received 897,700 tourists during the Spring Festival this year, up 52.79 percent year on year, with tourism revenue amounting to 249.59 million yuan (about 36.25 million U.S. dollars).

On the other hand, Fushun did not give up developing the industry, but carried out transformation and upgrading, and gathered a number of new industrial enterprises, with products ranging from chemicals to battery parts.

Harbin, the capital of China's northernmost Heilongjiang Province, has meanwhile invested heavily in the winter sports equipment manufacturing industry.

Not long ago, Jilin Province started 72 tourism construction projects simultaneously, with a total investment of 108.3 billion yuan. Among them, there are major projects leading the development of the ice-and-snow industry.

"At present, construction projects aimed at the new snow season are already underway, and more new products will be launched at Beidahu Ski Resort to provide tourists with a better tour experience," said Zeng Yan, general manager of Jilin Qiaoshan Beidahu Industrial Co., Ltd.

The ice-and-snow industry is regarded as an important source of support for the development of tourism and a breakthrough in promoting transformation of the economic structure.

"We are striving to find a path of innovative development," said Chen Siyu, deputy director of the Jilin provincial department of culture and tourism.