Skiing enthusiasts practice on a slope at Changbai Mountain Ski Resort in Northeast China's Jilin province. YAN LINYUN/XINHUA

CHANGCHUN－Jilin province has built 54 ski resorts and 279 snow tracks with a maximum daily capacity of about 100,000 visitors, local authorities said recently.

The data was released during the fifth session of the 13th Jilin Provincial People's Congress in late January.

Located at 41 to 43 degrees north latitude, the northeastern province is endowed with excellent natural conditions for developing the ice and snow industry.

In this "golden" latitude zone for ice and snow, there exist the world's three largest powder snow bases: the Alps, the Rocky Mountains and Jilin's Changbai Mountains.

Currently, the Changbai Mountains are building into a globally influential tourism destination and expanding ice and snow tourism options.

Aside from skiing, local hot springs, gorgeous examples of rimes and its unique folk customs have also drawn lots of tourists to the province in the winter months.

In October 2021, Jilin unveiled a blueprint, striving to make itself into a world-class skiing hub as enthusiasm for winter sports gathers momentum in the run-up to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

By 2025, the value of Jilin's ice and snow industry is expected to exceed 250 billion yuan (about $39.4 billion) with a total number of 100 ski slopes, according to the plan.

Xinhua