1 . In January, 2021, the ice-making work on the ”Ice Ribbon“, a landmark venue for the Beijing Winter Olympics, was completed.

In the Winter Olympics, where races can be won or lost by a small time gap, tiny imperfections in the ice can make all the differences. ”It’s not just a hunk of ice like you’d normally think of, like ice cubes sitting in your freezer,“ told Kenneth Golden, a U. S. mathematician who studies the structures of ice. ”It’s a much more fascinating and complex substance than people would normally think.“

The first step for building any ice rink is to purify the water to remove dissolved solids like salts and minerals. Such impurities don’t fit in the regular hexagonal(六边形的)structure of ice that forms as water freezes. The purer the water, the more consistent the ice surface.

In addition to the need for excellence in the raw materials of ice-making, technology is also very important, As one of the most advanced technologies for winter sports venues, a carbon dioxide cooling technology has been applied on a large scale for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. CO₂ , is not new when it comes to ice-making. However, it has been gradually replaced by the man-made refrigerant, like Freon.

With increasing attention toward climate change, the old refrigerant has come into use again. As an element of the atmosphere, CO₂, doesn’t damage the ozone layer. Although CO₂ is a greenhouse gas, its greenhouse effect is much lower than that of other synthetic refrigerants. The Winter Olympics venues adopted CO₂ instead of Freon as a refrigerant in ice-making, which will reduce carbon dioxide emissions greatly.

”We believe these technological innovations will bring Beijing 2022 to spectators all over the world in a more impressive way.“ told Gao Bo from the Media Operations Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

6 . Beijing, with co－host Zhangjiakou in neighboring Hebei Province, will host the 2022 Winter Olympics. That will benefit the capital as well as its residents (居民), so the below are something to be expected from the Winter Olympic Games.

Blue skies

It is highly expected that hosting the Winter Olympic Games will push Beijing to reduce pollution and improve the air quality more effectively.

Beijing began carrying out a five－year plan from 2013 that cost 130 billion US dollars to upgrade heating systems, cut car emissions (排放) and close heavy－polluting factories. Such efforts will not only be made in Beijing but in a neighboring Hebei and Tianjin as well, as suggested by a development action plan to integrate (结合) the three places. Hopefully, blue skies will become a regular feature even after the Games.

Transportation

Although Beijing is the host city of the 2022 Winter Games, Chongli county of Zhangjiakou will host some of the snow events.

The capital region is likely to benefit from investments in infrastructure (基础设施), including the Beijing－Zhangjiakou intercity railways, expansion of Beijing subway systems, upgraded highway networks and another regional airport.

Winter sports

Beijing's vision is to develop a winter sports market for more than 300 million people in northern China.

With a rich legacy left by the summer Olympics, China plans to reuse 11 of 12 venues built for the 2008 Olympics and only needs to build a new rink for speed skating, effectively easing possible problems of facilities (设施) being left idle after the Games.

Transformation (转变)

On the back of the Winter Olympics, the Beijing municipal government is looking at fostering sports－related industry as a new growth driver to power its economy.

The goal is to integrate the Winter Games with sustainable development plans for the wider region, focusing on clean energy, green technology, and improvement in ecology and air quality.

Tourism

The country's plan to develop a winter sports industry will enhance Zhangjiakou's reputation as a tourist destination by upgrading its transportation system and facilities, such as hotels and restaurants.

7 . A smiling panda and a walking Chinese lantern will be the mascots of the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics (残奥会）in Beijing .

The mascots were known to the public on Sept.17, 2019 at a ceremony in Beijing . Beijing Mayor Chen Jining described them as adorable, unique , and exquisite (精致的）。He said they shows Chinese people’s longing for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in a visually appealing way and extends Chinese people’s warm invitation to friends throughout the world .

The panda, named Bing Dwen Dwen , is the Olympic mascot. Colourful circles around its face symbolize skating tracks and 5G technology, according to the website of the Beijing organizing committee . Bing , the Chinese word for “ ice “, shows purity and strength, while Dwen Dwen means sincerity , liveliness, and health , the website said. The choice of the iconic animal , considered the national treasure , is not a surprise to people in China . While many applaud Bing Dwen Dwen for its cuteness on social media , some are not favourably impressed by the lack of creativity in choosing a panda . The giant panda was one of the five mascots of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics , and it was also the symbol for the Asian Games in Beijing in 1990.

“Today is an important step on a milestone in Beijing’s journey to make history as the first ever , in Olympic history , to host both summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games , International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said at the ceremony .

Based on a traditional red lantern , Paralympic mascot Shuey Rhon Rhon creates a cheerful atmosphere of the Chinese Lunar New Year ,which will fall around the time of the Winter Games , the organizing committee said . It is sporting(穿戴）a yellow scarf, a circle of yellow doves around its head , and a traditional Chinese paper-cut . “Shuey “ means snow in Chinese and “Rhon Rhon” means “inclusiveness ”and “harmonization”, implying that the world civilizations communicate with each other and live in harmony , the committee said .

The two mascots were selected from more than 5800 submission from 35 countries .