It is not known whether Xi Jinping has ever strapped planks to his feet and raced down a mountain at speed. But at a banquet welcoming dignitaries to the opening of the Asian Winter Games in the north-eastern city of Harbin on February 7th, China’s leader made clear that he hoped more compatriots would soon be shredding the gnar. “Ice and snow are as valuable as gold and silver,” he said, suggesting that frozen water could be an engine for Harbin’s “high-quality development”. Plastered across national media, his comments are a push to develop everything from snowboard lessons and winter homestays to self-heating ski socks and snow-making machines as part of “the ice-and-snow economy”.
The Economist
