With low temperatures lasting for over half a month, the term "warm winter" seems to have become a distant memory for Beijingers. While some have bundled up in thick down jackets and others have stayed indoors, veteran skaters have dug out their ice skates—long sidelined by the so-called "warm winters"—donned lightweight sportswear, and flocked back to the ice rinks.
Old ice rinks: heating up early this year
At 8:30 a.m., the Shichahai Ice Rink hadn’t yet opened. The cold wind whipped the colorful flags around the rink, while small groups of skaters lingered outside, some doing warm-up exercises. Shortly after 9 a.m., a dozen veteran skaters had already entered and started warming up.
Liu Yun, the ticketing supervisor at the ice rink, said that due to the low temperatures, the rink opened nearly 10 days earlier than usual, and many veteran skaters arrived ahead of schedule. “They’re especially happy because they get to skate 20 more days or so, the feeling on the ice is great, and they’re really getting into it,” he said. He added that Beijing’s veteran skaters are particularly fond of Shichahai. In previous years, over a hundred would come each winter, and most knew each other well. In recent years, due to the "warm winters," fewer people have been skating. In the past two years, some veteran skaters only came once or twice all winter. But this winter, those who hadn’t shown up for years have returned.
During New Year’s Day, the Shichahai Ice Rink saw two to three thousand visitors each day, and even on regular days, there were several hundred. Beijing has five or six major old ice rinks, including Shichahai, Beihai, Zizhuyuan, Longtan Lake, Taoranting, and Bayi Lake. It’s reported that all of them have been quite popular this winter.
On the ice rink: veteran skaters show off their blades
By 10:30 a.m., the Shichahai Ice Rink was getting crowded, with people skating in large circles, speed skating, and some taking lessons with instructors.
Chen Juan, wearing a ski cap and a black skating outfit, moved about on the ice and said that in the over 10 days since the rink opened, there had been almost no strong winds or heavy snow—perfect conditions for skating. She started skating at Shichahai when she came to Beijing for work in the early 1980s, and she said it’s rare to see such lively scenes as this winter.
At that moment, a tall, thin elderly man walked over carrying a sports bag, sat down on a bench by the rink, and began changing into his skates. When asked, the man introduced himself as Lu Dingying, 77 years old, who has been skating at Shichahai for nearly 60 years. Lu said his whole family loves skating, and even his 10-year-old grandson, who studies abroad, plays on a school hockey team.
There are also many veteran skaters from other parts of China on the rink, including Cao Yingli from Shanxi. Now 55, Cao has been skating since childhood. Forty years ago, he came specifically to skate at Shichahai. Ten years ago, when his daughter came to Beijing for school, he followed her and bought a home in Yanjiao. Due to inconvenient transportation, he tried to come and skate once or twice each winter. Now that Line 6 of the subway is operational and commuting is much easier, he has already visited the rink several times since New Year’s Day.
Skaters: it’s hard to find a large ice rink
Cao Yingli said that there are too few official ice rinks, forcing skating enthusiasts to seek out unsafe natural ice. He went skating for the first time earlier this month on the Chaobai River near his home. Cao believes that Beijing has many bodies of water, and the ice freezes well in winter. If properly managed, these could all be turned into ice rinks.
Liu Yun said that official ice rinks have strict standards—the ice must be at least 15 centimeters thick and must pass inspections by multiple departments, including municipal and district sports bureaus and public security. Safety measures and life-saving equipment are also required on the rinks, which natural ice surfaces simply can’t provide. He advises the public not to skate on unregulated ice.
“Beijing just doesn’t have enough ice rinks. Even in winter, there are only seven or eight, and they’re all paid rinks. Finding a larger one is even harder. In summer, there are almost no rinks for recreational speed skating, so we end up rollerblading instead. It’d be great if there were more ice rinks,” said Miao Keming from the Beijing Ruiye Skating Club. Miao, 65, is from Heilongjiang and has been skating since childhood. Back in the northeast, there are plenty of ice rinks, especially in winter when schools and government offices would flood their own rinks for free. Miao suggested making use of school playgrounds in Beijing to provide public skating space during winter holidays.