An old photo shows Shan Zhaojian skiing in Jilin province. XU CHANG/FOR CHINA DAILY

China's first ski champion hopes Olympic Games will stoke national passion

For seven decades, Shan Zhaojian has poured all his enthusiasm into winter sports.

When he was a child, the now 83-year-old spent most of his winters on snow, wearing everything on his feet from broken iron basins to snowshoes made of straw.

When he finally got a pair of cross-country skis, he became a national champion, winning three gold medals for the 5-kilometer cross-country, 10-km cross-country and ski relay events at China's first National Ski Games in Tonghua, Jilin province, in 1957.

"Even after half a century, I still vividly remember the moment I stood on that podium," he said. "I was proud of what I'd achieved after years of hard work."

Shan was born in Tonghua, a city known for its plentiful ice and snow, as well as its long history of skiing.

"There weren't many other forms of amusement at the time because of poverty and underdevelopment," he said. "Playing in the snow brought me great happiness as a child."

Shan (third from right) wins the first national skiing championship of China at the first National Ski Games held in Tonghua, Jilin, in 1957. XU CHANG/FOR CHINA DAILY

In 1954, China began to promote winter sports in its northeastern regions, and Tonghua established its first cross-country ski team. Shan joined when he was 16. "Conditions were really tough at the time," he said. "We didn't have good equipment. We had to make skis out of wood by ourselves. But I kept practicing hard and had the confidence to perform well."

At China's first National Ski Games in 1957, he won a gold medal for the 10-km cross-country event, which was the opening competition, becoming China's first ski champion in the process.

Between 1957 and 1960, he won 10 medals at different national competitions, including five golds.

Due to injuries, he retired from skiing when he was 24 but didn't stray far from the sport he loved. Over the years, Shan has been a ski coach, secretary-general of the Chinese Ski Association and head of the Chinese ski team, branching out to cover various skiing events, including downhill racing. He has made it his mission to encourage appreciation for winter sports among as many people and in as many places as possible.

In 1995, Shan visited the Chongli district in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, to look for a location for skiing activities, especially racing. His visit changed Chongli's fate.

"The topography is good for skiing. Chongli's large forest area also makes for a good environment," he said. "Plus, it's close to Beijing, with an expressway linking the two."

Over the years, Chongli built several ski resorts and was chosen as one of the main venues for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

In 1993, when Shan got news that ancient skis made of animal skins had been unearthed in Altay prefecture in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, he became firmer in his conviction about where skiing first originated.

Over the next few years, he visited Altay numerous times, uncovering evidence to support his opinion.

In 2005, he discovered rock paintings there depicting skiing, which came as a great surprise.

In January 2006, he organized a symposium during which the Altay Declaration was issued. This stated that the people of Altay began skiing about 10,000 years ago.

Shan (right) is certified as honorary dean at the Jilin Institute of Physical Education's College of Ice and Snow Industry in Changchun on Oct 25. XU CHANG/FOR CHINA DAILY

In December that year, together with the Chinese Ski Association and other organizations, Altay organized a news conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to announce that the prefecture was the cradle of skiing.

On Jan 16, 2007, the prefecture was awarded an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as "the earliest site of skiing".

After retirement in 1998, Shan spent time researching the history and culture of skiing, as well as giving speeches and promoting winter activities at campuses across the country.

On Oct 25, he was named honorary dean of the College of Ice and Snow Industry at the Jilin Institute of Physical Education.

"I hope more people will participate in winter sports," he said, noting increased enthusiasm as the Winter Games approach. "I also hope to see the blossoming of China's ice and snow industry."