The coastal city of Yantai in East China's Shandong province has recently beefed up efforts to boost winter sports among its residents with the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games just around the corner, according to city authorities.

Yantai is known as the "snow nest" of China due to the large amounts of snowfall it receives every year. Blessed with exceptional seasonal advantages, winter sports in Yantai have been on the rise in recent years, and it has also responded actively to the country's call of involving 300 million people in winter sports since 2015 when Beijing successfully won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

In order to boost the development of the local economy and society as well as increase people's sense of happiness, the city's Fushan district has put emphasis on attracting more investments for ice and snow sports since 2015. Over years of development, a full-featured ice and snow sports complex is nearly ready to open its doors in the district.

The complex consists of two indoor ice rinks and one training center for ice and snow sports, and it will be the largest one of its kind in Shandong after being put into operation, according to Ding Kewu, office director of the district's sports management service center.

The city has also set up schools for ice and snow sports, spurring enthusiasm among students to participate in winter sports ahead of this year's Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. 

Ice and snow sports historically have been considered an aristocratic type of sport, but in recent years, Yantai has brought the sports to the general public by making great efforts to promote the sports citywide and welcome the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, which is becoming a new calling card for the city.

The coastal city of Yantai in East China's Shandong province sets up schools for ice and snow sports, spurring enthusiasm among students to participate in winter sports ahead of the Winter Olympic Games. [Photo/WeChat account: Gyantai1861]