With its stunning Olympic makeover almost complete, Zhangjiakou's mountain area promises to be a winter wonderland during the 2022 Olympics and beyond.
National Ski Jumping Center, one of the newly built Chongli facilities for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, is nearly completed and the construction is in the last stage. The center will be the venue for the ski jumping competition of the 2022 Winter Games. (Photo by Wei Xiaohao/chinadaily.com.cn)
Back in 2015 when Beijing was awarded the Games, Zhangjiakou's Chongli district was already a burgeoning ski-resort cluster. Now, with Olympic venues taking shape, the 2022 co-host can truly consider itself a world-class winter sports destination.
As a highlight of Zhangjiakou's preparations for the Games, the completion of the new National Ski Jumping Center, built halfway up the mountains in the Guyangshu area, has impressed visitors from home and abroad with its spectacular architectural design and post-Games plans for tourism operation.
Featuring two different-sized slopes and located around 1,750 meters above sea level, the center's S-type curve resembles the shape of a jade Ruyi scepter, a traditional Chinese ceremonial object－earning it the nickname "Snow Ruyi".
About 40 meters above the ramps, a circular lounge has been built on the mountain peak, which will provide a unique top-down viewing experience for spectators during the Games. After 2022, the lounge will open to the public for sightseeing, leisure and conference functions.
