Original Title: The Transformation of a Small Town: Chongli
Located north of Zhangjiakou, the county town of Chongli has a total population of only 126,000, with fewer than 30,000 people in the main urban area — equivalent to the student body of a key middle school in a central province. Chongli County had long been designated as a national-level poverty-stricken county until around 2010, when local authorities began vigorously developing ski resorts. The area’s unique climate and mountainous terrain became valuable assets. On July 31 this year, Beijing and Zhangjiakou successfully bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, propelling Chongli onto the world stage.
Ski Resorts Built on Barren Mountains
On July 31 this year, Beijing and Zhangjiakou’s joint bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics was successful, bringing the county of Chongli — as the venue for snow events — gradually into the public eye. Chongli is located about 50 kilometers northeast of Zhangjiakou. It has long winters with heavy snowfall and low temperatures, and its agriculture mainly consists of potato and oat cultivation, which yields limited income. Moreover, Chongli lies in a mountainous region upwind of Beijing, resulting in slow industrial development. In 2003, policies to ban grazing and promote afforestation and grassland restoration were implemented. Chongli undertook tasks such as controlling sand sources and ecological afforestation, and its main source of income — animal husbandry — was also restricted. Before jointly preparing to bid for the Winter Olympics with Beijing, Chongli had never shaken off its status as a poverty-stricken county.
However, Chongli’s mountainous terrain — with “mountains connecting mountains and valleys within valleys” — also provides ample snow resources. The snow here falls early, accumulates thickly, and remains for a long period. Compared to the snowier but colder northeastern regions, Chongli enjoys a milder winter climate, earning it the reputation of being “the most ideal natural skiing area in North China.”
As early as 1996, Shan Zhaojian, China’s first national skiing champion, and investor Guo Jing visited Chongli and discovered the area’s skiing potential. They hired local farmers to carry artificial snow up the mountain at a cost of three to five jiao per bag, creating a 300-meter-long ski slope. This marked the establishment of Chongli’s first ski resort — the Saibei Ski Resort. Since there were no cable cars at the time, skiers had to take jeeps back up the mountain after descending. Despite the rudimentary equipment, many skiing enthusiasts began visiting Chongli due to its proximity to Beijing — just over 200 kilometers away. The resort made a profit of more than 200,000 yuan in its first year. Other ski resorts, such as the Cuiyun Mountain Ski Resort, were subsequently established in Chongli, putting the area “on the ski slopes” and leveraging tourism resources like skiing to drive economic transformation and growth.
In 2003, the Longwan Ski Resort was built, becoming China’s first star-rated ski resort and the country’s first national 4A-level tourist attraction featuring skiing. Duan Jianjun, deputy director of the Longwan Ski Resort office, explained that when the resort first opened, skiing had not yet gained popularity in China. Equipment needed for the resort was mostly imported, resulting in high initial investment. For example, a standard snow gun water supply nozzle had to be imported from abroad at a cost of 20,000 yuan. After 2010, ski resorts in Chongli gradually emerged, creating a cluster effect that helped promote the sport, attracting more tourists to the area. Domestic manufacturers of snowmaking equipment and other instruments began to appear, reducing the investment needed for ski resorts.
Regarding the impact of successfully bidding for the Winter Olympics on Chongli, Duan Jianjun admitted that it was a great opportunity for both the ski resorts and the town, helping to boost the visibility of Chongli’s ski resorts and promote the popularization of skiing. At the same time, he also noted that after the successful bid, Chongli’s ski resorts may face a new round of “restructuring” and will need to meet international standards — a significant challenge for the newly developed resorts. To prepare for a potential surge in visitors, the Longwan Ski Resort added more parking spaces and dining areas this year to ensure service quality. Duan Jianjun also revealed that to avoid the limitations of the ski season, the Longwan Ski Resort has begun transforming itself into a holiday resort where visitors can come in the second half of the year for summer retreats and ski in the winter, meeting as many needs as possible.
A Small Town with 23 Star-Rated Hotels
To many who frequently travel to Chongli, the changes have been too rapid. Ten years ago, residents jokingly described the county town as “a single road full of potholes, one police officer watching both ends, one streetlamp at the crossroads, and a 15-watt bulb lighting up the whole town.” Nestled between two mountains, Chongli’s county town is traversed by an old street that can be walked through in just half an hour. The few restaurants were sparsely patronized. Now, driving into Chongli, visitors see a line of restaurants along the highway exit, including outlets from well-known domestic chains. On weekends, finding a parking spot near these restaurants is difficult.
Hai Yun, 22, has lived in Chongli County her entire life. As a child, she often ran around the streets and alleys, familiar with every snack shop in town. When it snowed, she and her friends would head to the mountains, sliding down on pieces of plastic or wooden boards, screaming all the way. Hai Yun always denied knowing how to ski; to her, what they did as kids was just play, since none of them had ever used professional skis or boots. A decade later, she says she barely recognizes the place. “I don’t know how so many restaurants and hotels suddenly appeared, or why shops selling ski gear seem to have sprung up out of the ground.”
What surprised Hai Yun and most Chongli residents even more was the transformation of the new urban area. The Qingshui River runs through Chongli County. On the west bank is the old town, where the county government and schools are concentrated. Though the old town has changed significantly, it still largely resembles Hai Yun’s childhood memories. The east bank, originally lined with single-story homes and narrow streets, was somewhere Hai Yun rarely visited as a child. After demolition and renovation, the west bank of the Qingshui River has been completely transformed — and in Hai Yun’s eyes, this is the new town.
After the Yuyuxing Road in the new town area was widened, it became a key route to several ski resorts and gradually evolved into the town’s main road. After the successful Winter Olympics bid, signs for the 2022 Games appeared throughout Chongli, and snowflake-shaped lights on street poles have become a local attraction. Many visitors capture these decorations in their photos. Outdoor shops, travel agencies, and hotels now occupy prime locations along the road, making it a central hub for those coming to Chongli for vacation.
Zhuang Xiaofei, head of the Chongli County Culture and Tourism Bureau, explained that around 2010, as multiple ski resorts were completed, Chongli’s tourism industry entered a phase of rapid development. Currently, the county has five ski resorts in winter and three sightseeing spots in summer. In the first 11 months of 2015, it received 2.249 million visitors, a nearly 30% increase year-on-year. Leveraging the Winter Olympics opportunity, Chongli’s reception capacity has also improved. The county now has 117 hotels and restaurants, including 23 star-rated hotels. For a county whose main urban population is less than 30,000, this is sufficient to meet visitor demand. Once the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway and its Chongli branch are operational, the journey from Beijing to Chongli’s ski resorts will take less than an hour, leading to a surge in visitors and further infrastructure improvements.
According to hotel staff, as the ski season approaches, room demand has risen sharply. During weekends and holidays, rooms are almost fully booked, and customers need to reserve at least two days in advance to secure availability.
Farm Stays Expand to Welcome Guests
The rise of skiing has brought visitors to the resorts and also driven development in nearby villages. Along the roads from Chongli County to the ski resorts, villages that once relied on sheep and cattle farming have knocked down walls and built farm stays.
Poverty once plagued Huangtuzu Village. “We were so poor we couldn’t even afford alkaline noodles,” villagers recalled. Over a decade ago, the village mainly consisted of adobe houses made of yellow mud and soil. In August 2003, the Longwan Ski Resort — the first large-scale ski resort in Chongli — officially opened. Located just 3 kilometers from the resort, Huangtuzu Village overlooks its chairlifts and bustling crowds. The government encouraged villagers to open farm stays to provide accommodation for skiers, offering financial support ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands of yuan based on the scale of operations. However, most villagers, accustomed to farming and herding, were hesitant to enter the hospitality business due to a lack of understanding of the ski resort’s potential. Liu Suying and five other households took the initiative, renovating six of their own rooms at a cost of over 40,000 yuan and opening for business in December 2003 — becoming one of the village’s first six farm stays.
By the end of the first ski season, Liu Suying was already seeing the benefits, earning over 4,000 yuan in two months. Business exceeded expectations — rooms during New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day were often booked six months in advance. Liu expanded by converting three more rooms into guest accommodations. “Normally, a room goes for 130 to 150 yuan. Many tourists from Beijing stay here, and some even leave contact info or recommend friends.”
Liu said there are now nearly 40 farm stays in the village, varying in size. Some villagers offer 60–70 rooms, comparable to small hotels. Most are converted from homes, featuring heated kang beds or air-conditioned rooms, with fruit trees and flowers in the courtyards to attract guests. Urban visitors enjoy staying in these farm stays. Earnings vary, but Liu estimates the most successful households make over 200,000 yuan annually, while the least earn around 40,000–50,000 yuan.
After the news of the successful Winter Olympics bid, villagers in Huangtuzu were excited. “More visitors mean better business.” Liu felt her existing nine rooms could no longer meet demand, so this year she leveled an adjacent plot of land and built a two-story building, adding 14 new rooms. However, due to heavy snowfall in November and blocked roads on weekends, and with infrastructure changes still minimal following the Olympic announcement, many out-of-town visitors haven’t arrived yet. The new 14 rooms remain vacant and unrenovated. “I’ll finish the renovation next year, and they’ll be ready for the next ski season.”
Liu is confident in her business, and the growth of the ski resort excites her. Her husband was among the first employees at the ski resort, earning a stable monthly salary of over 2,000 yuan and receiving pension insurance. He works at the resort and helps with the farm stay during his days off. What makes Liu proudest is her son, a certified ski instructor at the resort. Last year, he was sent to Japan for training at the resort’s expense and now earns over 10,000 yuan a month — an enviable income in a county where average wages are just over 2,000 yuan.
The Rise of Million-Yuan Real Estate
Rising housing and commodity prices are also a concern for many residents. One week before the successful Winter Olympics bid, property prices in Chongli ranged from 5,000 to 7,000 yuan per square meter. After the announcement, prices generally rose to over 10,000 yuan per square meter, with premium properties starting at around 15,000 yuan.
Ms. Gong from the Xiangxue Apartments sales center said the complex has 1,500 units, with a starting price of 12,800 yuan per square meter — about 2,000 yuan higher than before the bid. Currently, 60% of the units have been sold, and 90% of buyers are from out of town, half of whom are from Beijing. “The environment here is nice. Many buy homes for vacationing or as investments.”
An administrative worker noted that while salaries remained unchanged, meals now cost 3–5 yuan more than before. “With a monthly salary of just over 2,000 yuan, rising housing and food prices significantly impact living standards.”
Skiing Remains a Luxury
“Have you gone skiing?” The Winter Olympics bid has made Chongli a household name, and many visitors are asked this question upon arrival. But for many locals, skiing is more of a business opportunity or a label than a pastime — its high cost still keeps it out of reach for most.
In the eyes of Haiyun, who is 22 years old, skiing remains a pastime for the wealthy. With a monthly salary of just over 2,000 yuan, she can barely cover her basic expenses in Chongli County. A day at the ski resort can cost her four to five hundred yuan, and a standard set of ski gear is priced in stores even higher than her monthly wage.
Haiyun still misses the days when she used to ski on the mountains as a child—those activities brought her no stress at all. The transformation of Chongli has caught her, a lifelong resident, somewhat off guard. Every weekend during rush hour, streams of out-of-town tourists drive to Chongli to ski, leading to traffic congestion on the roads, and diners often have to queue up for a table. “I’m afraid Chongli will become as crowded and polluted as big cities, with high living pressure too.”
For the future, Haiyun also has her own plans. Despite worrying that an influx of tourists might disrupt her peaceful life, she intends to quit her job and open her own clothing store or restaurant. “More people mean better business, and in the future my child can learn to ski and become a coach.” In her view, being a ski instructor is still a respectable job. She also hopes that with the Winter Olympics being held in Chongli, the sport of skiing can be promoted so that more people have the chance to try it.
Text by Nie Hui, reporter of Beijing Times; Photos by Pan Zhiwang, reporter of Beijing Times