Winter sports enthusiasts practice skating on an ice rink. [Photo/Baotou news network]

An indoor ice rink covering an area of 1,200 square meters has recently been put into use in the Baotou Sports Center. It is the only indoor artificially cooled ice skating rink in the city.

"The surface of the ice rink is real ice," said Guo Jia, head of the center's marketing department, "The advanced ice-making technology keeps the ice rink room temperature at 20 C and the ice surface at minus 5 C.” 

Since the successful hosting of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, China has increased support for the winter entertainment industry.

The price of the ice rink on Meituan – one of China's leading e-commerce platform for life services – is 33.9 yuan ($5) for a one-hour experience for one person, and 109 yuan for a two-hour experience for two people. Skate rental fees are included, but protective gear must be rented separately.

Resident surnamed Li said that his 6-year-old daughter loves ice and snow and signed up for summer skating classes there.

In the future, Baotou will also introduce winter games and other winter activities to stimulate residents' enthusiasm for winter sports.