Boys play ice hockey in an ice rink located in a shopping mall in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Feb. 25, 2017. In recent years, winter sports are more and more popular in south and west of China. The government of Sichuan province integrates winter sports, leisure and exercising and ice and snow tourism, encouraging social resources invest in building venues and opening classes of winter sports and attracting more and more people to participate in winter sports. About 5,000 people keep attending winter sports in Sichuan. There are 7 ski resorts in Sichuan, accommodating 220,000 people in 2016. This number is increased by 15 percent compared to 2015. These ski resorts are invested by social entrepreneurs. With the popularity of winter sports in Sichuan, some new ski resorts are under construction. A total of 9 ice rinks in Sichuan are based in shopping centers. The government of Sichuan will launch a plan on developing winter sports, including developing various snow and ice sports and organizing winter sports events. The authorities also plans on cultivating its own professional team on winter sports by the year 2025. (Xinhua/Xue Yubin)
