Zhangjiakou infrastructure slated to get major upgrade

Zhangjiakou in Hebei province is making preparations as it joins Beijing in a bid for the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

According to a proposal of the joint bid, Beijing would host the opening and closing ceremonies and some competitions, but most of the events that require snow - about two-thirds of the competition - would take place in Zhangjiakou's Chongli county.

Zhangjiakou has drafted a plan to guarantee that its venues work well, according to the city's bidding office. A water division project from Yunzhou Reservoir, scheduled to be completed by the end of December, will be capable of transferring 5 million cubic meters of water every year. The project will ensure that Zhangjiakou can make enough snow to meet the requirements for the Winter Olympics, the bidding office said.

The city has also taken measures to control air pollution and promote infrastructure construction, including a high-speed railway linking the city and Beijing, as well as major expressways in the city.

Xu Ning, deputy governor of Hebei province, said that the preparations for the joint bid have worked wonders for the two cities as well as Hebei province, helping upgrade industries and environmental protection efforts.

"Hosting the 2022 Winter Olympic Games will further open up the city and the province to the world," he said.

"No matter what results we get - win or lose - we are winners because we have grown a lot during the preparation," said Hou Liang, mayor of Zhangjiakou, adding that more than 100 large companies have visited and set up projects and investments in the city.

The joint bid has attracted more visitors to the city. The number of visitors increased by 20 percent in the snow season (from November to April) at Wanlong Ski Resort, one of the major resorts and potential competition venues for the Winter Olympics.

"We are confident of our bid because of the good preparations," Yu Donglin, manager of the resort, said on Friday, adding that the resort is expanding the service areas, including parking and catering for the expected flood of visitors.

Sun Xiaochen contributed to this story.

zhengjinran@chinadaily.com.cn