CHANGCHUN, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) — As recent snow blanketed the peaks of Daqing Mountain in northeast China’s Jilin Province, younger skiers from China and Japan raced down the pristine slopes, leaving intersecting tracks on the white canvas.
A shared ardour for snowboarding has introduced collectively athletes from Shanghai’s Xuhui Youth Ski Team and Japan’s Niigata Prefecture Ski Alliance, sparking friendships and fostering cultural change.
These teenage skiers, all beneath 18, began snowboarding earlier than elementary college and now compete in skilled tournaments.
The two groups carried out joint coaching on the Vanke Songhua Lake Ski Resort in Jilin Province. Activities included slalom coaching, freestyle snowboarding and video evaluation to enhance their strategies.
“Shared interests helped the youths bond quickly. The detailed guidance from Japanese coaches greatly benefited our athletes,” mentioned Zhang Xinyun, chief of the Shanghai staff.
Among the members, 11-year-old Wu Sitong, who just lately skied within the Shanghai Youth Competition, was most impressed by her Japanese friends’ angle. “They get up very early and spend a long time each day on training,” she mentioned.
17-year-old Yokoo Aki from Japan began snowboarding at 4 beneath the steerage of her ski-athlete father and commenced aggressive snowboarding at seven. She is at present making ready for the FIS Alpine Skiing competitors in Hokkaido on the finish of December.
“The snow quality here in Jilin is excellent, and the trails are long, which is thrilling to ski here. I was also touched by how polite my Chinese ski friends were. Everyone greeted me with ‘hello’ on the ski lift,” Aki famous.
Yokoyama Riyou, who has visited China a number of occasions over the previous twenty years, famous the rising collaboration between the 2 nations in snowboarding. “In Niigata Prefecture, many Chinese skiing lovers frequently visit there. Skiing has become a bridge of friendship,” he mentioned.
China and Japan bear a protracted historical past of snowboarding exchanges. In 1979, Chinese athletes Piao Dongxi and Wang Guizhen had educated in Japan to organize for China’s debut within the Winter Olympics.
Their coach, Hiroaki Kawano, later visited China six occasions to strengthen ties between the 2 nations’ ski communities. Japan, with its superior snowboarding custom, stays a well-liked vacation spot for Chinese ski fans.
Meanwhile, China’s fast growth within the winter sports activities trade has led to the development of 935 ski resorts by the top of 2023. Yokoyama acknowledged that many Chinese amenities now meet world-class requirements, with Vanke Songhua Lake Ski Resort turning into a well-liked coaching base for ski groups from Japan’s Niigata and Nagano prefectures, in addition to for skiers from France and Canada.
“Jilin is gifted with an earlier ski season and a longer snow period compared to many parts of Japan,” defined Zhang Penghao, the resort’s basic supervisor. “Combined with excellent accommodation and dining options, we have become a preferred winter destination for Japanese keen skiers and sports teams.”
According to knowledge, bookings for Chinese ski resorts by Japanese vacationers have surged by 150 p.c after China launched visa-free journey in late November.
Jilin City and Changchun City noticed year-on-year will increase of 267 p.c and 103 p.c, respectively, in Japanese traveler bookings, making them high decisions for Japanese guests.
“Delicious food and comfortable living conditions have made my training in China much easier,” mentioned 15-year-old Japanese skier Kensei Wakai, who’s making ready for highschool. “I hope to come back to ski in China again after I start high school.”