CHANGCHUN, Northeast China, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- While skiers and skaters were chasing for the medals during the Asian Winter Games, ordinary Chinese people were also playing their parts to ensure the Jan. 28 - Feb. 4 Asian jamboree go with a swing.

    Xu Weimin, a dustman from the Changchun Environment and Sanitation Bureau, had swept snow for about three days during the weeklong Games.

    "I could only sleep for a short while amid the Asian Winter Games, and had to work non-stop. It's even hard to meet my family during those days," said Xu, who kept sweeping the snow off the streets with the temperature dropped to under minus 20 degrees centigrade until midnight.

    Snow finally started to fall from Jan. 29 through to Feb.2 in the hosting cities of Changchun and Jilin, which had been plagued by the smatter of snow ahead of the Games.

    While the provincial government managed to increase the snowfall by enhancing the moisture in the air, the blessing snow also caused trouble for transportation.

    "It's a tough work to sweep snow day and night, but we felt happy that we can help the Asian Winter Games go swimmingly and the citizens are really understanding," Xu said, adding that some of them voluntarily bought snacks for them.

    About 22,000 dustmen, citizens and soldiers went out to clean the main streets in Changchun during the snowy days.

    Volunteers should also win the compliment during the Games. Among an estimated total of 70,000 volunteers, 2,000 of them served for the Games directly in media service, reception work and transportation, according to An Li, secretary of the organizing committee.

    "It's a great honor to take part in the Asian Winter Games as a volunteer. Whenever I served for reporters, I felt happy I could participate in the Games in my own way," said Zhao Bo, a volunteer working at the reception desk at the media hotel.

    "The volunteers were selected through two written papers and two oral tests, covering English language, history about Jilin and some knowledge about the society," added Zhao, a junior student in Jilin University.

    All the 2,000 students who served directly for the Games, come from institutes of higher education, including Jilin University, Northeast Normal University and Jilin Agriculture University.

    "It is the time to go home and have a vacation, but many of my classmates are willing to make more contribution to the Asian Winter Games as volunteer. It is an amazing feeling that I could help in my way," Zhao said.

    Though the winter sports are not so popular in China, the Asian Winter Games has still attracted much attention from about 200,000people to the competition venues.

    "It is just exciting to watch the competitions on the spot," said Wang Xichen, a Changchun citizen who paid hundreds of yuan (an average monthly salary) to watch the skating races every night.

    "You will never really know it if you stay at home and watch the TV. I have been cheering for the skaters until I had a sore throat."