Photo shows the Beijing 2022 presentation during the closing ceremony for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium, PyeongChang,South Korea, Feb. 25, 2018. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)
As the Olympic flame slowly went out in PyeongChang, South Korea, the Winter Olympic Games now has officially entered "Beijing Time."[Special coverage]
The 8-minute show at the closing ceremony in PyeongChang Olympics has blown the world away and makes the world eager to see what Beijing has to offer in 2022. After the success of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, people wouldn't expect anything less.
Hosting the 2022 Winter Olympic Games presents a golden opportunity for China to promote winter sports.
According to the Chinese government's plan, the country will have about 650 skating rinks and 800 ski resorts by 2022. By the end of 2016, about 11.3 million Chinese skied at least once a year. China aims to lift that number to 300 million before the next Winter Olympics.
In fact, the Winter Games four years later has already brought dramatic changes to the country's sport industry. According to the official statistics, many northern provinces in China saw dramatic surge in the number of tourists visiting major winter tourism destinations during 2018 New Year Holiday.
The Chinese government estimated that the industry value of winter sports will top 1 trillion yuan (about 158.9 billion US dollars) by 2025.
More over, as Beijing will hold the event along with Zhangjiakou, a relatively inconspicuous city in comparison, the level of infrastructure in the area will also be greatly lifted. High speed rails and highways will be built to connect Beijing and Zhangjiakou, in addition to other cities.
The Olympics Games inspire people to embrace peace, find common ground while respecting differences. For many people, the confidence over the mankind was partly restored when the two Koreas held one flag at the PyeongChang Games.
The Olympics spirit is echoed by the idea of building a shared future for mankind, which was put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping. By holding the Olympics Games, China has the opportunity to lend its traditional wisdom on peace to the world and share its vision of peaceful development.
Four years from now, the two Chinese cities will welcome athletes, sports fans and tourists from all the world during the Chinese New Year, the Chinese festival for families. During that time, the Chinese will make every friend who come here feel like home.
