Experiencing and Learning
The first snow experience in Chongli has not only brought excitement to many foreign students from Beijing Normal University, but presented them with valuable experience about the operations of a world-class skiing resort.
FIFTY graduate students of Beijing Normal University’s 2019 exchange master program from developing countries in Asia, Africa, North America, and South America, recently went to the Fulong Ski Resort in east Chongli, a district of Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, to study and carry out research. Together with Beijing, Zhangjiakou will host the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Zhang Jianchen, director of the strategic development department with the Emerging Markets Institute of Beijing Normal University, explained the purposes of the field trip. First, carrying out field research on Chongli’s experience of new-type town construction will inform students how best to develop their economy after returning home. Second, it will allow them the chance to observe first-hand the impressive results of Chongli’s poverty alleviation drive, and apply what they have learned to their local situations.
Each of the students was fascinated by the exposition at the Chongli Ice and Snow Culture Museum about the Winter Olympics and snow and ice sports generally, especially those from African countries to whom the concept of extreme temperatures has particular significance.
First Experience with Snow
This was for many of the students from the South
ern Hemisphere their first ever experience of a ski resort, or indeed of ice and snow. Zeyede Teshome Tilahun, aged 42, an agricultural consultant from Ethiopia, had until then only seen ski resorts on TV.
Faith Vanessa Gray, director of the Jubilee Praise & Worship Center Church in Liberia, shared his amazement. “I had no idea that such a high-end ski resort was located so close to Beijing. As the average temperature in my country is 25 degrees centigrade, I couldn’t wait to stand in an actual snow field,” Gray said.
Mouaxeng Mouanhiabee with the Department of Import and Export of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Lao People’s Democratic Republic recently commented on the more frequent trade contacts between China and Laos that the upcoming Winter Olympics has engendered in recent years, and also that construction of the Belt and Road has made for a closer relationship between the two countries. Mouanhiabee expressed sincere thanks to the Chinese government for its strong support of Laos’ economic development, and his keen anticipation of personally witnessing the grand opening of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
After frolicking in the snow and snapping Chongli’s mountain scenery, the students knuckled down to their task of close observation of the ski resort’s daily operations, including service, maintenance, and management. All agreed that the visit was a rare opportunity to understand the workings and ambience of a ski resort in China; also that this “most memorable experience” in their lives would enable them to transpose China’s development approach and business management model to their home countries.
Zhang Gao, deputy general manager of Fulong’s operation and service department, confirmed that in recent years the resort usually received several foreign-based survey teams each year. “In the past, visitors to Chongli were generally ski enthusiasts, but over the past several years more people have been coming here for family vacations, or to do research,” Zhang said. As the ski track area and supporting facilities in Chongli’s ski resorts like Fulong are comparable to those of well-known European and American ski resorts, it has drawn large numbers of overseas skiers.
Knowledge Starts with Practice
The purpose of these 50 foreign students coming to China is to learn from China’s experience in tailoring the development model to make it suitable for local conditions. They were particularly impressed by the poverty alleviation and development practices applied to Shangwopu Village.
Keitisha Martha Andrews from the Ministry of Education of Grenada expressed admiration for the miraculous transformation over a short period of time that this impoverished small mountain village had achieved with the help of the government and local enterprises. She said it proves how crucial the solidarity of government, enterprises, and people is to generating the impetus needed to overcome poverty. Andrews concluded that this constitutes invaluable experience for Grenada.
“Our country should learn more from China’s rural construction. The beneficial effect of help from China’s private enterprises toward rural poverty alleviation is plain to see,” Carolyn Kazombo, a middle school teacher from Malawi, said. She added,
“Enterprises in Malawi don’t get involved in government poverty alleviation projects. That’s why I find Chinese businesses’ support for government projects so inspiring.”
“Overcoming poverty should not be solely a government responsibility when with enterprise participation that objective becomes more achievable. That’s why underdeveloped countries like mine should emulate the practices,” research assistant Michael Saeed Abudu at the Ministry of Commerce and Development of Ghana said.
From Experiencing to Learning
Pooling their firsthand experience, the students discussed with the senior management of Fulong Holdings such issues as corporate development and maintenance of economic operations in the postolympic era.
Ozobia Samuel Davies, public relations manager at the Rokel Commercial Bank of Sierra Leone, expressed particular interest in how it would be possible to guarantee Chongli’s fixed customer base and the high returns generated by the hotel’s commercial service functions after the winter Olympics end. Guo Meihong, vice president of Fulong Holdings operations, admitted that this is a problem that all companies that have invested in Chongli’s ice and snow industry must face. “We’ve been focusing on consumer patterns, and have formed an online and offline marketing model, integrating social contacts and interactivity, tourism, market research, and other factors, which has achieved a stable flow of guests, even in summer.
After the Winter Olympics, Chongli will be imprinted on global memory as an Olympic standard ski resort — an association guaranteed to maintain its prestige. Thanks to convenient transport infrastructure, such as expressways, high-speed rail, and flights, economic development here in the post-olympic era can only continue to progress,” Guo said.
“But how can you ensure an investment yields profits?” Edwin K. Gayflor Sr., a financial analyst from the Ministry of Health of Liberia, asked.
Guo Meihong then cited Chinese President Xi Jinping’s words in March 2018 of pursuing the goal of “making 300 million people participate in snow and ice sports,” which would bring unprecedented development opportunities to Chongli’s ice and snow and supporting industries.
“It is based precisely on such development opportunities that our ice and snow industry has developed to its current level and started making a profit. This is an impressive result for a company established just three years ago.” Guo went on to explain that Fulong Ski Resort operated for only half the snowy season in its first year, and received 50,000 guests, but in the second year it broke even due to its 150,000 guests. As the number of guests this year is expected to exceed 300,000, therefore, the resort’s profitability is doubtless.
“We will in the future make our Fulong Four-season Town as famous as Davos, Venice, and Cannes, at which point we’ll return its public management rights to the government, and thus bring its benefits to more people,” Guo said.
After the Winter Olympics, Chongli will be imprinted on global memory as an Olympic standard ski resort — an association guaranteed to maintain its prestige.