(Sports Focus) Winter Olympics brings fresh life to China's most popular ski resort

Yabuli, the most well-known ski resort in China, has been rejuvenated since the 2022 Olympic Winter Games was awarded to the Chinese capital Beijing.

As one of the largest and earliest ski resorts in a country whose winter sports used to be popular just in the northern part, Yubuli saw a spike in the number of tourists after Beijing was awarded the host right of the 2022 Games in last July.

From November 21 to December 31 in 2015, Yabuli received more than a hundred thousand of tourists, with a 161 percent of increase in tourist numbers to preliminary training fields.

"We built 10 ski tracks in 2014 and have put under our management all the nine ski fields on three mountains which were originally operated separately," said Wu Hongjie, head of the Yabuli ski resort administrative office. "Thus ski fans can visit any of the nine fields with a single pass."

Yabuli, named by builders of Middle East Railway, meaning apple plantation in Russian, has attracted ski fans from all over the country.

"The place is so famous but it is better to see for oneself rather than just to hear for many times, and it is also better to ski here than to see it," said Zhan Pengshuo, a senior student from Qingdao, Shandong province. Yabuli is her fisrt stop on a graduation trip.

The growing passion in skiing also means more job opportunities in Heilongjiang province which has seen an exodus of young people.

Liang Yuchao was one of them. The 27-year-old returned from Beijing to his hometown last year to become a ski coach in Yabuli.

"I earn 4,000 yuan each month and the income is pretty good locally," he said. Endit