A booming economy means more money in the pockets of more people. The very pleasant dilemma isn't so much a question of how much we have to spend, but rather, what to spend it on. Let's take a look now at one leisure activity that was virtually unknown in China a few years ago, but is rapidly gaining popularity.

Embracing nature and tasting the adventure of sport, that's the major reason why skiing with family and friends has become so popular during the winter holidays. This represents a sharp contrast from just six or seven years ago when there wasn't even one public skiing resort, anywhere in China. Back then, the cost of a complete skiing outfit and other equipment was far too expensive for the Chinese public.

Recently, in the past five years, ski resorts have been cropping up all over Beijing. Growing dramatically from 0 to nearly 20. Back in 2000 when Beijing's first ski resort opened, many people greeted the idea with much skepticism. Many factors stood in the way of its success. First, Beijing's climate: the average temperature in winter is around minus one degrees celsius, much warmer than in the past. But the biggest factor that needed to be addressed, was the disposable income of China's population. At that time, China's first ski resort, Yabuli, depended heavily on business travel for most of its revenue. Even then, the resort still struggled with financial difficulties.

Zhang Xin, General Manager of Huai Bei International Skiing Resort All of the founders of the resort are skiing fans, including me. When we opened the resort at the end of 2000, we were prepared to lose money, but the market is expanded so fast! Skiing is an expensive sport. The growing number of ski fans indicate the economy's growth, and the growth will result in more ski fans.

In fact, skiing has become big business here in China, driven by the rising incomes of many Chinese. In fact, there are plans in the works to build an all-weather, all-season snow skiing facility in Beijing. It has been estimated that about $120 million US is spent on the sport every year. Driving the boom are mostly young affluent Chinese, who do not mind forking out about US$30 a day on their new hobby.

To meet the rising demand, Huai Bei Skiing resort has an ambitious expansion plan. When faced with such a booming industry, can anyboday resist the temptation to expand? But are 20 skiing resorts more than enough for one city?

Zhang also said, There are more than 1 million skiers in Beijing, and the number is growing. All of the resorts are very small, and some of them can only offer very primary service. I don't think we need more resorts, but we do need larger and better ones to meet skiers' needs.

(People's Daily January 19, 2004)