According to the latest statistics from the State Sport General Administration, more than one million people spend over one billion yuan (about US$120 million) on skiing every year.

However, just a decade ago, only 200 people in China had ever skied.

In the last two to three years, ski slopes and resorts have swiftly developed across the country to meet the demand. A total of 150 skiing resorts have opened, not including the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

A number of places rich in snow and further south, like Shanghai and Chongqing municipalities and Hubei Province are planning to establish their own ski resorts.

A survey suggests that 20 percent of Skiers are expats working or studying in the country, the rest are native white collar workers with high incomes. More than 75 percent of Skiers are between 15 and 35 years of age.

Though the number of China's sporty population, who do two hours or more exercise a day, reached 300 million, the per capita level of sport consumption is quite low.

A survey conducted in China's five major cities showed that half of the residents spent less than 300 yuan (US$36) on sport every year, which is just five percent of that spent by those in the United States.

(Xinhua News Agency December 23, 2002)