The ongoing 12th National Winter Games in Jilin Province has rapidly increased public attention on winter sports. Tonghua City in Jilin Province is one of the earliest regions in China to develop skiing. It is the birthplace of China’s first ski resort, first professional ski team, and first ski champion... But this city, long hailed as the “Hometown of Skiing,” also faces challenges such as aging infrastructure, a shortage of ski resources, and insufficient reserve talent, pushing its development to a new crossroads.
Skiing: Early Start, Solid Foundation, Abundant Talent
Skiing began in Tonghua as early as the 1940s. After the founding of New China, the first national skiing competition was held in Tonghua in 1956, which later hosted 17 national competitions and over 30 provincial competitions.
“Tonghua Jinchan Ski Resort, established in 1959, was China’s first ski resort,” said Zhou Hongguang, former deputy director of Tonghua’s Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television Bureau and Sports Bureau. The Tonghua Ski Team formed in 1954 was also among the country’s earlier teams. “Tonghua athletes have won many championships in national skiing competitions. The country’s first ski champion, Shan Zhaojian, came from Tonghua. In the previous Winter Games, Tonghua also won six gold medals, ranking third nationally.”
“Tonghua has many athletic talents and has supplied the most coaches to ski teams across the country,” said Liu Qun, head of the Business Section of Tonghua’s Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television Bureau and Sports Bureau. “Our judging panel is also highly skilled, often taking important roles in national competitions. We currently have two international-level judges and 32 national-level judges.”
Supply-Demand Imbalance Highlights Shortage of Reserve Talent
“After 53 years, the once-glorious Tonghua Jinchan Ski Resort is now severely outdated, becoming the biggest bottleneck currently restricting the development of skiing in Tonghua,” said Liu Qun.
Currently, the cable car equipment at Jinchan Ski Resort is completely unusable, and the ski equipment hall and other buildings have become hazardous structures. Liu Qun explained that in 1995, Jilin Province invested 100,000 yuan to build one ski jump venue and one cross-country venue at the resort, as well as an athlete dormitory of about 500 square meters. In 2000, 600,000 yuan was invested to improve the ski tow system. In 2005, a minor renovation was done to the ski equipment hall. “Still, these efforts fall far short of what is needed to update and renovate the facilities.”
Reporters found during interviews that amid the broader trend of climate warming, the ski season in Tonghua is gradually getting shorter, while the number of local skiing enthusiasts continues to rise. The supply-demand imbalance in ski resources is limiting the growth of skiing in the area. “Due to natural limitations, we can’t easily expand the number of ski days or skiers. In recent years, the resort has only been open from mid-December to the end of February—just two months—which makes it hard to meet public demand,” said Zhou Hongguang. “In previous years when there were more people, two to three hundred skiers would come each day. If we accelerate infrastructure updates, even more would come.”
“Another challenge hampering the development of skiing in Tonghua is the shortage of reserve talent,” said Liu Qun. Nowadays, parents are more focused on their children’s academic performance and discourage them from pursuing professional skiing. He cited the example of Tonghua Children’s Sports School, which used to enroll over 100 students annually but now only takes in 40–50. Similarly, Dongchang District Children’s Sports School in Tonghua, which once enrolled 40–50 students per year, now only admits around a dozen.
The gradual shrinkage of the third-tier talent pool inevitably leads to shortages in first- and second-tier athletes. Currently, the number of new athletes joining the first and second tiers has significantly decreased, dropping by over 60%.
Revitalizing the “Hometown of Skiing”
Some local sports officials believe that for Tonghua’s skiing to regain vitality, increased investment and infrastructure upgrades are needed, along with collaborative efforts to develop the ski industry from multiple angles.
Liu Qiang, deputy director of Tonghua’s Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television Bureau and Sports Bureau, said that ski infrastructure requires high initial investment, has a long return cycle, and yields slow returns. “If the state could help upgrade the infrastructure, the local government could fully mobilize social forces to build a complete ski industry chain,” he said. “We could introduce commercial operation models that integrate training and tourism, allowing for the commercialization of accommodations, dining, and equipment. Of course, local governments also need to offer corresponding preferential and incentive policies to motivate businesses.”
Extending the ski season also requires more investment. Liu Qun explained that Tonghua’s ski resort currently lacks snowmaking equipment, and snow grooming still relies on sledges. Relying solely on natural snowfall is far from adequate. “If Tonghua’s ski resort had snowmaking and grooming equipment, the ski season could be extended from November to the end of March—nearly five months—directly easing the tight supply of ski resources.”
Industry experts believe addressing the concerns of professional athletes is also crucial to developing skiing. Liu Qun said that most athletes must fend for themselves after retirement, but due to years of specialized training, their job skills are relatively limited, making it difficult to find suitable positions. “We must take a multi-pronged approach to the resettlement of retired athletes. Only by resolving their issues can we encourage more people to pursue professional skiing.”
Additionally, to revitalize the “Hometown of Skiing” and bring skiing closer to ordinary people, the issue of high costs due to expensive equipment must be addressed. Currently, most professional ski gear is imported, with prices often ranging from tens of thousands to over a hundred thousand yuan for a single set of ski clothes and boards—far beyond the reach of average citizens. Only by fostering more domestic ski equipment brands can costs be lowered, laying a mass foundation for the development of skiing.