As the first solar term of winter, Lidong, approaches, the General Office of the State Council recently issued the "Opinions on Several Issues Concerning Stimulating the Vitality of the Ice and Snow Economy through the High-Quality Development of Ice and Snow Sports" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"), providing policy tailwinds for the upcoming ice and snow season.

Experts in the ice and snow industry believe that the "Opinion" is highly strategic and targeted, addressing the pain points, difficulties, and blockages faced by the development of the ice and snow industry. It provides clear direction for the next steps in the development of ice and snow sports and the industry.

The document proposes a total of several aspects and measures. Whether it is to continuously promote the development of ice and snow sports, improve the industrial chain of the ice and snow economy, or enhance infrastructure and supporting services, and promote and expand ice and snow consumption, each measure has clear objectives and strong directionality.

In the view of Wang Yuxiong, Director of the Sports Economy Research Center at the Central University of Finance and Economics, one of the highlights of the "Opinion" is that it points out the direction for the transformation and upgrading of ice and snow sports and the ice and snow industry. "In the past period, China's ice and snow industry has achieved rapid growth, solving the problem of moving from scarcity to abundance on both the supply and demand sides. Now, this stage is about addressing the transformation and upgrading of the ice and snow industry and achieving high-quality development," Wang Yuxiong said.

Professor Wang Xueli, a national sports decision-making consultant during the 14th Five-Year Plan period under the General Administration of Sport and a professor at Tsinghua University, believes that the "Opinion" has grasped a very important keyword, which is "the entire industrial chain." The third part of the "Opinion," titled "Improving the Industrial Chain of Ice and Snow Economy," proposes specific measures from four aspects: promoting coordinated regional development of the ice and snow economy, inheriting and developing ice and snow culture, advancing the high-quality development of ice and snow equipment and facilities industries, and optimizing the development of ice and snow tourism.

"From ice and snow culture to ice and snow tourism to ice and snow equipment, this encompasses both manufacturing and service industries, and more importantly, integrates ice and snow culture into the entire industrial chain," Wang Xueli said. She emphasized that sports culture is a crucial foundation for development, and promoting, publicizing, and disseminating the culture of related projects can help drive the comprehensive development of the ice and snow economy's entire industrial chain.

Wang Yuxiong stated, "The 'Opinion' encourages the formation of a large number of integrated business models across various regions, enhancing and transforming traditional ice and snow economic industries by integrating ice and snow tourism and culture, thereby increasing the added value of ice and snow sports."

Policy Brings Warmth, Confronting Specific Challenges Head-on. Li Jing, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Sport of China, stated at a regular policy briefing that the "Opinion" proposes two measures in terms of facilities and services, including strengthening the construction of ice and snow venues and improving the level of supporting services. In terms of factor support, specific measures have been put forward from the aspects of strengthening the construction of ice and snow talent teams, increasing financial support, and enhancing the guarantee of ice and snow land use, laying a solid foundation for the ice and snow economy.

Wang Xueli was deeply impressed by the proposal to strengthen the elements support for the ice and snow economy. "Although the goal of 'mobilizing 100 million people to participate in ice and snow sports' has been achieved, overall, there is still a shortage of ice and snow talents in the ice and snow industry. After all, our original foundation was very weak, and talent cultivation requires a cycle."

Wang Yuxiong said that the ice and snow industry is capital-intensive, with a long capital recovery cycle and high operating costs; the "Opinion" proposes to increase credit investment in ice and snow enterprises, effectively reduce the financing costs of these enterprises, which can be described as "providing timely relief" for relevant businesses.

"On the supply side, the support of fiscal policy can effectively address the pain points and difficulties that constrain business development. In the long run, it still depends on the micro-entities of enterprises, which should innovate, construct, and cultivate business models based on market conditions," said Wang Yuxiong.

Wang Xueli mentioned that in the past, during research, it was also observed that there were some mismatches between the existing policies and the practices of some ski resorts in terms of land approval, usage, and maintenance; the mention in the "Opinion" of strengthening the guarantee of ice and snow land can effectively address some of the issues encountered in the development of the ice and snow industry.

The document proposes a spatial layout for the ice and snow economy known as "One Region, Two Belts, Multiple Nodes," which involves constructing an internationally influential northern ice and snow economic leading region centered on Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, and Xinjiang. It also aims to build the high-quality Beijing-Zhangjiakou sports, culture, and tourism belt and the "Ice and Snow Silk Road." The document supports the development of internationally renowned ice and snow economic clusters in areas such as Yanqing in Beijing, Chongli in Hebei, Yabuli in Heilongjiang, Changbai Mountain in Jilin, Altay in Xinjiang, and Ili in Xinjiang.

Relevant experts stated that the "Opinion" mentioned Inner Mongolia, Jilin, and Liaoning four times, and Heilongjiang and Xinjiang five times, which was not by chance. These provinces and regions possess advantages in ice and snow tourism resources and cultural heritage, giving them inherent advantages in promoting the transformation of local winter tourism from off-season to peak season.

Song Qihui, head of the Department of Resource Development of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, stated that since last winter, the ice and snow tourism in Harbin has gone viral, driving the development of related industries such as catering, accommodation, entertainment, and shopping in the local area. During the snow season, Harbin received millions of tourists, an increase of % compared to the previous year, achieving tourism revenue of billions of yuan, up % year-on-year. The "cold resource" of ice and snow is transforming into a "hot economy."

Wang Xueli believes that the ice and snow economy has clear requirements for natural resources and climate, so the "Opinion" explicitly proposes that certain provinces should play a more important role in the development of the ice and snow economy, which is a very pragmatic approach.

Professor Fu Baosen, an economics expert from Shenyang Sport University, stated that the release of the "Opinion" has provided a favorable development opportunity for the ice and snow economy in regions including the three northeastern provinces, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, and Xinjiang. "As winter approaches, all regions are eager to seize the opportunity. Just in Liaoning, the investment in the ice and snow industry has been increasing year by year in recent years."

Wang Yuxiong said that the northeastern region has natural endowments and inherent advantages for developing the ice and snow economy. How to "cash in" these advantages and reflect the ecological value of ice and snow resources through the development of ice and snow sports requires further improvement of the business environment and consumption environment.