Foreign Influencers Praise "Beijing Ingenuity" of the Winter Olympics Venues

On September 13, the "Beijing 2022 Games Tour" hosted by the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and organized by CRI Online of China Media Group was officially launched. Foreign social media influencers from Brazil, Venezuela, Georgia, Russia and other countries visited the Shougang Park and Wukesong Sports Centre.

Foreign influencers take group photo with young trainees at the Wukesong Ice Sports Center. [Photo by Li Xueshi]

Integration of traditional Chinese culture in the reuse of industrial heritage

In 2015, Beijing and Zhangjiakou were given the honor to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. This not only made Beijing the city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics, but also brought opportunities for the rejuvenation and development of Shougang Park. As the first competition venue rebuilt from an industrial heritage site in the history of the Winter Olympics, the design of Big Air Shougang borrows the floating ribbon of "Flying Apsaras" from Dunhuang frescoes, a world cultural heritage site, wining it the nickname the "Snowy Flying Apsaras". After the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Big Air Shougang will be the world's first Big Air venue preserved for permanent use. Shougang Park has become a model for promoting both the Olympic Movement and urban development.

Night view of the Shougang Big Air [Photo by Liu Xin]

Tamar Kvlividze, a vlogger from Georgia, said that taking advantage of the Olympic Games, Shougang Park has creatively integrated traditional culture into the Olympics venue construction. This is a great opportunity to show China and disseminate Chinese culture to the world. It is also a manifestation of cultural confidence of the Chinese people. Vlogger Celia Judith del Rosario Esquivel Salguero agreed that the use of traditional Chinese cultural elements in the sports venues provides a new way for people to get to know Beijing and China.

Multi-purpose venue serving as a "green sample" for the world

Foreign influencers learn about how to convert basketball court into ice rink at the Wukesong Sports Centre. [Photo by Hu Xiaomeng]

At Wukesong Sports Centre, Celia was deeply impressed by the technologies for converting a baseketball court into an ice rink within just six hours. She exclaimed, "In six hours, from a basketball court to an ice rink, one arena used for two purposes, that's amazing for use of resources and high efficiency!" Brazilian vlogger Cyntia Midori Yamauchi said that China's increasing emphasis on green development has been rewarded with improving ecological environment. China's contributions to the world in terms of reducing carbon emissions or environmental protection is rarely mentioned by western media, "yet all people living in China can feel and see."

Vlogger Celia accepts an interview with CRI Online. [Photo by Li Xueshi]

During the Beijing 2022 Games, Wukesong Sports Centre will host women's ice hockey events and some of the men's ice hockey events as well. The arena can, with only minor changes, be turned from a basketball court to a hockey rink in six hours, thanks to the ice-making pipelines initially installed underneath. Tamar said: "Rather than being built just for this Olympic Games, the venue was planned for a long term at the beginning of the construction, which reflects the concept of sustainable development to be used as reference by other countries."

Venezuelan vlogger Rafael Antonio Saavedra Molina (left) and Brazilian vlogger Cyntia Midori Yamauchi (middle) skate at the Wukesong Ice Sports Center. 

[Photo by Li Xueshi]

Croatian photographer Martin Stokic experiences dryland curling at the Hi Park Ice Park. [Photo by Li Xueshi]

On the same day, the foreign influencers on the tour visited the Wukesong Ice Sports Center and Hi Park Ice Park, and also interacted with the Liu Yukun Winter Olympics Volunteer Service Team.

(Note: Content source is from CRI Online.)