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Shan Zhaojian， China’s first national skiing champion， seals the window of the tiny room that faces north in his apartment. This is the 84 year old’s treasure house： dozens of skis， trophies and certificates， as well as piles and piles of books on skiing. “These fur-covered skis are precious proofs of the origins of skiing， and I have to keep the dust away，” Shan told Beijing Review.
Shan has been hitting the slopes for nearly 70 years. Born in Tonghua， Jilin Province， a winter wonderland of ice and snow， he has been captivated by the sight of snow since childhood. “I feel happy even just hearing the snow softly squeak when I walk on it，” Shan said. Since young Shan didn’t have any skis， he would sprinkle some water onto the soles of his straw shoes and after they had frozen over， they’d become a simple kind of “skate slash ski.” “Skating down the road was something we did for fun，” he added.
“China’s skiing sport had a rough start，” Shan said. Both the training and living conditions were tough. Shan had neither cutting-edge skis nor gear， and neither specialized textbook nor coach. His first coach was a physical education teacher. The second one was a Russian language teacher， who translated skiing directions from Russian books and taught them to the young skiers.
Shan’s first skis were made of wood. “I shortened and narrowed it to fit my stature，” he said. Even wooden skis were a highly prized possession in the 1950s， something athletes were willing to sacrifice their lives for. One day， Shan and his teammates took to the training fields by truck. Unfortunately， the truck overturned on the snowy road. Rather than considering their own safety， they firmly held onto the skis to prevent them from being damaged. “It was because skiing boards were expensive，” Shan said. How about the gear？ “Our everyday clothing was our gear，” Shan added.
What’s worse， Chinese athletes back in the day were undernourished. Every athlete was given 1 kg of sugar per month as a nutritional supplement. Beef would be available on occasion. And every skier could have a loaf of bread after a full day of training. “Whenever I ate that bread， I felt like I was living the good life. That was one of the reasons for my joining the team，” Shan said.
“Skiing is an industry， which requires much support from different respects，” Shan said. China was underdeveloped before its reform and opening up in 1978. Every single link in the country’s skiing sport was weak back then. Consequently， it took decades to develop into a bigger， better business. In 1980， Chinese athletes made their first appearance at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid， New York， the U.S. But no Chinese athlete won any medals. “Their skills lagged far behind those of foreign athletes，” Shan said. However， their participation allowed them to start working with their counterparts from other countries.
“With the start of reform and opening up， the continuous improvement of people’s livelihoods， and the gradual increase in international exchanges， China’s winter sports have made great progress，”Shan said.
Today， the facilities and equipment for Chinese athletes are all world-class. Every athlete owns several pairs of skis. Training is meticulously planned and executed； the consumption of calories and dietary intake all calculated down to a tee. “Modern facilities ensure that athletes can put their potential to full use，” Shan said.
Shan served in the then National Sports Commission from the late 1970s to the early 1990s， working tirelessly to promote skiing in all of China.
At that time， what he felt to be his main mission was to find an ideal skiing venue near Beijing. Although his hometown in Jilin and neighboring Heilongjiang Province in the northeast are ideal for winter sports， “they are located far away from China’s political and economic centers，”he said.
He first visited Chongli， currently a district in Zhangjiakou， Hebei Province， back in 1995. Chongli has a long snow season， and the mountains there are mound-shaped. All this located roughly 200 km from Beijing. Shan realized that it would make a good place for ski-themed tourism.
At his suggestion， the Saibei Ski Resort was constructed that following winter. It is the first of its kind in Chongli， which has championed the development of the skiing sport in north China.
The once poor area in the decades since has transformed itself into a world-class resort， even designated as the main skiing venue for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. “I am very proud because I have contributed to its development，” Shan said.
In 2005， the first cave paintings depicting ancient skiing-like activities were uncovered in Altay Prefecture， Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Shan worked with archaeologists， undertaking many field trips to the sites for further investigation. They found that fur-covered skis are still used in Altay， demonstrating the area’s extensive history of the sport. Also， a centuries-old folk song that tells of skiing is still sung by local communities. In 2015， Altay was recognized as the origin of human skiing activities by international historians. On March 23， 2018， the International Skiing History Association awarded Shan with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his research on ski culture and history. There are only two people in the world who have received this honor.
Although Shan is now over 84， his passion for winter sports has showed no signs of slowing down. He has already drafted an “85 plan.” For him， the ages of 80 and 85 happen to span two Winter Olympics. And he aims to further popularize the sport.
“Everything related to skiing， especially combining Altay’s skiing tradition with the culture of the Winter Olympics， is what I want to be part of，”Shan said.
Nevertheless， Shan does bemoan the fact that almost all equipment used for Beijing 2022 is imported. “It is understandable， under the current circumstances， in order to ensure the success of the games. But it’s not a long-term solution，” Shan said.
Beijing 2022 is expected to attract some 300 million Chinese aficionados to regularly participate in winter sports. “We should develop and manufacture all the equipment necessary ourselves，” he concluded. BR
Shan has been hitting the slopes for nearly 70 years. Born in Tonghua， Jilin Province， a winter wonderland of ice and snow， he has been captivated by the sight of snow since childhood. “I feel happy even just hearing the snow softly squeak when I walk on it，” Shan said. Since young Shan didn’t have any skis， he would sprinkle some water onto the soles of his straw shoes and after they had frozen over， they’d become a simple kind of “skate slash ski.” “Skating down the road was something we did for fun，” he added.
A slippery slope
When Shan was 17， he joined the local skiing team. Two years later， he won his first national skiing championship， back in 1957.“China’s skiing sport had a rough start，” Shan said. Both the training and living conditions were tough. Shan had neither cutting-edge skis nor gear， and neither specialized textbook nor coach. His first coach was a physical education teacher. The second one was a Russian language teacher， who translated skiing directions from Russian books and taught them to the young skiers.
Shan’s first skis were made of wood. “I shortened and narrowed it to fit my stature，” he said. Even wooden skis were a highly prized possession in the 1950s， something athletes were willing to sacrifice their lives for. One day， Shan and his teammates took to the training fields by truck. Unfortunately， the truck overturned on the snowy road. Rather than considering their own safety， they firmly held onto the skis to prevent them from being damaged. “It was because skiing boards were expensive，” Shan said. How about the gear？ “Our everyday clothing was our gear，” Shan added.
What’s worse， Chinese athletes back in the day were undernourished. Every athlete was given 1 kg of sugar per month as a nutritional supplement. Beef would be available on occasion. And every skier could have a loaf of bread after a full day of training. “Whenever I ate that bread， I felt like I was living the good life. That was one of the reasons for my joining the team，” Shan said.
“Skiing is an industry， which requires much support from different respects，” Shan said. China was underdeveloped before its reform and opening up in 1978. Every single link in the country’s skiing sport was weak back then. Consequently， it took decades to develop into a bigger， better business. In 1980， Chinese athletes made their first appearance at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid， New York， the U.S. But no Chinese athlete won any medals. “Their skills lagged far behind those of foreign athletes，” Shan said. However， their participation allowed them to start working with their counterparts from other countries.
“With the start of reform and opening up， the continuous improvement of people’s livelihoods， and the gradual increase in international exchanges， China’s winter sports have made great progress，”Shan said.
Today， the facilities and equipment for Chinese athletes are all world-class. Every athlete owns several pairs of skis. Training is meticulously planned and executed； the consumption of calories and dietary intake all calculated down to a tee. “Modern facilities ensure that athletes can put their potential to full use，” Shan said.
Next destination： Chongli
Shan served in the then National Sports Commission from the late 1970s to the early 1990s， working tirelessly to promote skiing in all of China.
At that time， what he felt to be his main mission was to find an ideal skiing venue near Beijing. Although his hometown in Jilin and neighboring Heilongjiang Province in the northeast are ideal for winter sports， “they are located far away from China’s political and economic centers，”he said.
He first visited Chongli， currently a district in Zhangjiakou， Hebei Province， back in 1995. Chongli has a long snow season， and the mountains there are mound-shaped. All this located roughly 200 km from Beijing. Shan realized that it would make a good place for ski-themed tourism.
At his suggestion， the Saibei Ski Resort was constructed that following winter. It is the first of its kind in Chongli， which has championed the development of the skiing sport in north China.
The once poor area in the decades since has transformed itself into a world-class resort， even designated as the main skiing venue for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. “I am very proud because I have contributed to its development，” Shan said.
Tracing the origins
At present， Shan focuses on Chinese skiing culture and the study of the sport’s history.In 2005， the first cave paintings depicting ancient skiing-like activities were uncovered in Altay Prefecture， Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Shan worked with archaeologists， undertaking many field trips to the sites for further investigation. They found that fur-covered skis are still used in Altay， demonstrating the area’s extensive history of the sport. Also， a centuries-old folk song that tells of skiing is still sung by local communities. In 2015， Altay was recognized as the origin of human skiing activities by international historians. On March 23， 2018， the International Skiing History Association awarded Shan with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his research on ski culture and history. There are only two people in the world who have received this honor.
Although Shan is now over 84， his passion for winter sports has showed no signs of slowing down. He has already drafted an “85 plan.” For him， the ages of 80 and 85 happen to span two Winter Olympics. And he aims to further popularize the sport.
“Everything related to skiing， especially combining Altay’s skiing tradition with the culture of the Winter Olympics， is what I want to be part of，”Shan said.
Nevertheless， Shan does bemoan the fact that almost all equipment used for Beijing 2022 is imported. “It is understandable， under the current circumstances， in order to ensure the success of the games. But it’s not a long-term solution，” Shan said.
Beijing 2022 is expected to attract some 300 million Chinese aficionados to regularly participate in winter sports. “We should develop and manufacture all the equipment necessary ourselves，” he concluded. BR