Looking through the porthole of an airplane, the land suddenly turned into a white snowfield. Song Chuan, a Fujian native who studied at a university in Hainan, began to boil in his heart: "The first time I saw snow, the first time I saw such a vast white, the long-cherished wish of a southern child has finally come true." ”

This winter, "ice and snow" has become a favorite of college students, and they have been, are or are about to go to a "ice and snow appointment".

Recently, China Youth Daily and China Youth School Media launched a survey for young people with college students as the main body, and a total of 1789,92 valid questionnaires were collected. According to the survey data, 45.93% of the respondents like to "go on ice and snow", and 44.<>% of the respondents look forward to traveling to places where the ice and snow industry is thriving.

College students rush to "get on the ice and snow"

At the end of December 2023, under the leadership of a Qiqihar student, Song Chuan and two other southern students came to the Northeast. "Little Potato", "Little Taro", "Little Rice Ball" and "Big Bud Rice" put on big leather hats, wrapped in thick scarves, put on big cotton pants bought in Yanji Wholesale Market, drank Yanbian backbone soup all the way, ate Harbin big elbow and Qiqihar barbecue, looked at the "big big cat" Siberian tiger, tasted the joy of "victory or defeat" in the snowball fight, and felt the cold and "heat" of Changbai Mountain and Harbin Ice and Snow World. In this novel ice and snow world in the Northeast, Song Chuan, who has never seen snow before, has to post an average of 12 moments of friends every day, "Not to mention the scenic spots, any handful of snow on the side of the road will be an unexpected joy."

For Song Chuan, everything in the Northeast is so new that it is "ecstatic". At the Yanji Floating Market, which is built on the Burhatong River, he stepped on the frozen river for the first time, played "skating", lying in the snow, and holding hands with a few friends to circle on the ice...... "My Qiqihar classmate said that the biggest fun is not playing in the snow, but watching three southerners play in the snow. In Harbin Ice and Snow World, Song Chuan had never seen such a large piece of ice, and was shocked by the huge ice sculptures such as the New Year's Prayer Hall, and also took photos with the fish, grass and coins frozen in the ice. Everything about ice and snow fascinates him deeply.

Like Song Chuan, this winter, Lu Yuyang, a student from Taiwan, also saw snow for the first time. In August 2023, Lu Yuyang came to Beijing to study at the School of Journalism of the Chinese University of China, "I really want to experience the winter in the north, if only I could see the snow." Lu Yuyang is from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, before coming to Beijing, he had never seen snow, and what he was most looking forward to was spending the winter in Beijing.

Lu Yuyang's friends in the north once told him that it rarely snows heavily in Beijing in winter. Fortunately for him, in December 2023, Beijing ushered in heavy snowfall, "I spent such a cold winter for the first time, but I felt so lucky to see the heavy snow." Lu Yuyang recalled, "My roommate is also from Taiwan, and we were both very excited to see snow for the first time. During that time, we had to leave the dormitory building early to go to class, because we had to play in the snow and take pictures on the way. ”

Lu Yuyang also went to the Forbidden City to "check in" after the snow: "Before coming to Beijing, I heard that the snow scene in the Forbidden City is very beautiful, so I longed for it. After visiting the Forbidden City, Lu Yuyang posted a number of photos of the snow scene of the Forbidden City on his social media platform, writing, "Here I feel the true grandeur and tranquility of the Forbidden City."

To be able to "get in close contact" with ice and snow, Xiong Junling of the China Academy of Art would like to thank the 4th International Collegiate Snow Sculpture Competition, which has just ended in Harbin. His team is composed of four southern students, including him, and their snow sculpture "Pangu Open Heaven" won the first prize. This competition experience made Xiong Junling, who went to Harbin for the first time, very memorable, "Harbin has been very popular recently, although I went to participate in the competition, but I am also very excited to go to Harbin." I remember seeing the rime through the car window on our way from the airport to the hotel, and it made me, a southerner, feel the beauty of northern winter. He recalls that when he and the other three students were both nervous and excited when making snow sculptures, "We were all touching snow for the first time to make sculptures, and we used mud or plaster to practice at school, which has a completely different texture from snow, so we were all cautious and very nervous in the process, and at the same time, we were all so excited to see so much snow for the first time." ”

In addition to watching the ice and snow, ice and snow sports also attract some college students. Not long ago, Wu Feiya of China Three Gorges University went to Shennongjia International Ski Resort with her friends, and this is her second time skiing. Recently, Shennongjia International Ski Resort has launched a series of preferential activities for college students, who can not only ski for free, but also watch pandas. "We arrived at 7am to avoid queues, so we witnessed the gradual transition from less crowded to more crowded on the day. Talking about the feeling of skiing for the second time, Wu Feiya said with a smile that she has made great progress, "Although I haven't skied for nearly a year, I feel that I am very talented, and this time I tried some difficult maneuvers, and after doing a series of turns on the intermediate track, I actually 'drifted' directly to the entrance." ”

According to the survey data of China Youth Daily and China Youth School Media, 30.02% of the respondents have experienced ice and snow entertainment activities such as ice slides, snow slides, and ice cars, 26.50% of the respondents have experienced ice and snow sports such as ice skating and skiing, and 20.74% of the respondents have experienced ice and snow activities such as watching ice sculptures and ice lanterns.

What drives college students to "go to ice and snow"

For many of Wu Xiaolong's friends, he is the reason why they are "hooked" with skiing. Wu Xiaolong, a native of Mianyang, Sichuan, who majored in sports industry at a university in Chengdu, Sichuan, learned to ski in 2019 in an undergraduate class. In the southwest city of Chengdu, skiing is not out of reach, the indoor ski resort "Chengdu Sunac Snow World", the outdoor Taiziling Ski Resort, Xiling Ski Resort, Partridge Mountain Ski Resort, etc., provide convenience for Wu Xiaolong's skiing hobby.

Wu Xiaolong not only likes skiing, but when the snow season comes, he often takes friends who have never been exposed to skiing to the ski resort together. "My friend has experienced skiing and has a 100% chance of falling in love with it. In his opinion, no one can resist the feeling of adrenaline rush during the fast downhill and the feeling of freedom in the open world. "Although some of them may not go very often due to study and work, everyone will consider skiing when they have time."

At the end of December 2023, at the invitation of mainland students, Lu Yuyang experienced skiing for the first time at Beijing Yuyang International Ski Resort, "I experienced snowboarding, because I went with classmates who often ski, so I didn't do my homework in advance in choosing equipment, and with the help of my classmates, I soon went to the ski resort." Lu Yuyang shared: "At the beginning, it was difficult for me to stand on the snow slopes on a snowboard, and I sat down as soon as I was about to stand up, and I repeated it several times. The snow is slippery, and if it's a slope, it's even more difficult. After spending some time to stand firm, Lu Yuyang learned to push the board again, tried to slide left and right, and also experienced a "falling leaf float". The reason why he was able to quickly master the essentials of balance and snowboarding is due to Lu Yuyang's ability to surf, "There are certain similarities between the two sports, both need to master balance, but there are still big differences. After experiencing skiing once, Lu Yuyang bluntly said that "it's not enjoyable" and "I hope to experience skiing next time".

The most important reason for Wu Feiya of China Three Gorges University to fall in love with "ice and snow" is the success of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics. She said: "In the past, my friends would not discuss ice and snow sports, but in the past two years, when winter comes, everyone will make an appointment to go skiing."

As for what has boosted people's enthusiasm for "ice and snow", the survey data of China Youth Daily and China Youth School Media shows that 57.66% of the respondents chose the promotion of relatives, friends, and netizens in their daily life and social media platforms, and 61.24% of the respondents believed that they were affected by the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics.

Wu Xiaolong also clearly felt that since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics, there have been more people around him who know about skiing and want to get in touch with skiing. "It's a good feeling that there are more people to talk about skiing together. ”

In Song Chuan's view, the publicity on the Internet is also an important reason to boost his travel to the Northeast. "Especially since the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, we have learned more about ice and snow-related events. In the past two years, he has also been exposed to many exhibition project cases involving the ice and snow industry, and he wants to experience the real ice and snow for himself.

College students "speak" for ice and snow

The Oroqen people who lead the reindeer on the streets of Harbin, the Siberian tigers who "wipe the glass", and the cute white foxes keep swiping the screen, and Li Xiao, a native of Jilin, can't sit still, "I'm going to go home during the winter vacation and tell my dad that I will also go to Harbin to play." In 2023, Li Xiao graduated from high school and went to Sichuan to study at university. When the class and student organizations introduce themselves, she will talk about her coming from the Northeast and introducing the Northeast. When she usually "chats" with her classmates, she often mentions the ski resorts, hot springs, Yanji cold noodles, gimbap in her hometown, "and the authentic Northeast grilled cold noodles, which are completely different from the grilled cold noodles with a spoonful of white sugar at the entrance of our school."

In October 2023, the first snow fell in Li Xiao's hometown, and looking at the snow photos sent by her father, she "instantly felt homesick". Most of Li Xiao's classmates are southerners, and few have seen heavy snow in the northeast, so she also shared the photos with her classmates in the south, and also showed photos of herself skiing and building snowmen when she was a child: "Look, it's snowing in my house." You must come to the Northeast, I will take you to skiing. ”

In addition to the northerners who speak for their hometowns offline every day, more and more people share their experience of enjoying the snow and playing the snow online. According to the survey data of China Youth Daily and China Youth School Media, 76.86% of the respondents said that they would share ice and snow-related content on their personal social media platforms.

During the 10 days of traveling in Northeast China, Song Chuan, a Fujian student who went to school in Hainan, "spoke for success" in Northeast China. He posted a lot of experiences in the Northeast on his multiple social media platforms, "Many people I know and don't know have left messages saying that they especially want to go, and some people have asked me about my itinerary and strategies." Now there are several people in my circle of friends who have appeared in the Northeast. ”

In the enthusiastic ice and snow city, the taxi driver can chat with Song Chuan all the way, and will never let the stubble fall to the ground. Although Song Chuan met them for the first time, everyone in Qiqihar chatted with him like an old friend. The cultures of the North and the South are blended in the collision of young people. "They knew that I was from Hokkien, so they asked me to sing the original version of "Love Fights to Win", and when I sang it, they were so excited. ”

Song Chuan, a native of southern Fujian who originally spoke a "Taiwanese accent", also has a bit of "big ballast". Speaking of "Southern and Northern Accents", he posted a photo of himself in the Northeast in the circle of friends and wrote the words "second hometown". Returning to his home in Fujian, the "stamina" of traveling in the Northeast has not passed, and he described himself as "the moment I waved, I became a crane flying south".

On the day of Song Chuan's return, it snowed heavily in Harbin, and Song Chuan wrote a paragraph for the northeastern city that he "loved too much": "The subway station outside the ice and snow world is called Bingqing Yujie Station, like Harbin in my heart, calmly revealing the scars of my past, but still holding out a heart and giving it to friends from afar...... The old and the new, the snow and the spots, are the gentle nucleus of Harbin. ”

(At the request of the interviewee, Song Chuan and Li Xiao are pseudonyms in the article)

China Youth Daily, China Youth Network reporter Fan Xue Bi Ruoxu Source: China Youth Daily