体坛英语新闻：Feature: China in calm 2022 Olympic bidding countdown

CHONGLI COUNTY, Hebei Province, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Sun Jinkai has no clue what Nordic skiing is. For him, the Winter Olympics means that he can continue farming.

Yimatu Township in Chongli County, where Sun lives, was named a potential site for Olympic ski and snowboard events, should China win its bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. In the township, a sand factory had been diverting water, leaving Sun's land parched.

"There was so little water that I started to think of other ways to make a living," Sun said.

In November 2013, Chongli, which is 150 miles northwest of Beijing, was selected to host events.

"The officials got serious about environment protection and they closed the factory last year," he said.

Monday marks the 14th anniversary of Beijing's successful bidding for the 2008 Olympics, which transformed China. The bidding team are keen to repeat that success as they count down to July 31 final decision, which will be announced in an IOC congress in Kuala Lumpur.

Chongli: Improbable dream coming true

When his teenage son stared at the snow-capped mountain and asked what it was like to whiz down a slope, Wu Yong felt uncomfortable.

Living in Xiwanzi Township, Chongli, just two miles from a famous ski resort in Wanlong, which may also become a venue for the Winter Games, Wu's children have never skied there. He sends his teenage son and daughter to boarding school and their tuition, around 40,000 yuan (about 6,462 U.U. dollars), is almost all his wages.

"I take work when I can to cover their school fees. Nothing is left for expensive hobbies like skiing," he said.

A day pass at Wanlong costs 800 yuan. Xie Liang, village chief of Huangtuzui village, says that the average wage in his village is 1,200 yuan a month, putting the activity out of the reach of many.

"Only a handful of people who work on the mountains can ski. Most villagers cannot even afford a pair of ski boots," said Xie.

Outsiders account for the bulk of skiers in Chongli, which is administered by Zhangjiakou City and has a population of just 126,000. More than two million people came to ski in Chongli last winter.

Bringing the Winter Games to China "will inspire over 300 million Chinese to participate in winter sports, which will contribute greatly to the development of the international Olympic cause," said Chinese president Xi Jinping in January.

For Wu's son, it could mean he could try his hand at skiing.

Skiing has only become popular in the last decade in Chongli, a county surrounded by rugged terrains ideal for keeping snow. It is already home to a handful of five-star resorts, like the Italian-backed Dolomiti Resort and the Malaysian-backed Genting Secret Garden.

In the 18th century, Chongli was a center fir Catholicism in northern China, overseeing the whole area north of the Yangtze River, even reaching as north as Russia's Far East.

Over the years, though, Chongli has failed to develop and little was known about it before it was selected as an Olympic candidate. In 2008, when Beijing hosted the Summer Olympics, the average income in Chongli was 2,918 yuan. It was on the list of the country's poorest counties until last year.

"The bidding can thrust Chongli to a such a height that the whole world can see it," said Communist Party of China county secretary Li Li.

In Chongli banners proclaim: "Davos of the East: China's Swiss mountain resort!" Billboards wish the country well in its bid for the Games. Many shops have started displaying QR codes to share promotions with their patrons.

"The city must develop alongside international standards," Li told Xinhua.

If Chongli wins the Games, with Beijing, the area will benefit from government funding, and jobs will be created through tourism. Zhang Chunsheng, Olympic bidding officer in Zhangjiakou city, said the bidding could generate 350 billion yuan investment, and create 200,000 jobs.

Chongli's desire for the Olympics is apparent. One billboard says: "Joyful rendezvous upon pure ice and snow [at an] ideal eco-resort in which oxygen is abundant". In Zhangjiakou City, lots of space has been earmarked for sports facilities.

"The county has undergone huge changes. About a decade ago, we only had one street, flanked by shabby bungalows. Nobody had even set eyes on a foreigner. But now all the signs are bilingual. And we have plans for an English contest," said Tian Yongjun, head of the tourism bureau in Chongli.

Games or not, a bullet train from Beijing will begin in 2019, shortening the three-hour journey to 50 minutes.

"The arrow has been shot, and there is no turning back," Tian said, "we truly want to see more changes brought by the Games."

Beijing: the grown-up bidder

Beijing sports teacher Zhou Chenguang still recalls the joy that rippled through the capital 14 years ago, when it won the 2008 Olympics bid.

"I saw the news on TV. I jumped on my bicycle and headed toward Tian'anmen Square to join the celebrations. There were so many people I could barely move. Beijing was boiling with joy," recalled Zhou.

Beijing lost the Olympic bid in 1993 to Sydney. The 2001 victory was seen as hard won and long overdue.

More than 400,000 people flooded downtown Tian'anmen Square. Even Mcdonald's offered thousands of free hamburgers to the elated crowd. The news lit the nation on fire. Even along the coast in Qingdao, joyous youngsters jumped into the sea in excitement.

Zhou himself is an ardent Olympic fan. He centers his curriculum on the Olympics, and organizes mini-games at Yangfangdian elementary school, where he teaches.

"The Olympics can help the children feel honor and tenacity, and can teach them strive for their personal best," he said.

He believes in the magic of the games.

"Beijing was a different city after the Olympics. The people became more civilized. They love the city more and are more open minded," he said.

The legacy of the Beijing Games is far-reaching and profound. The games prompted more liberal rules for foreign journalists working in China that became permanent. It also boosted Beijing's infrastructure, improved environmental consciousness and increased public participation in social affairs.

"At least playing host put an end to spitting and queue jumping. It promoted politeness and openness among the public," said taxi driver Chen Bo.

Zhou doubts the news of 2022 bidding decision will have the same effect, but agreed that there was a simmering enthusiasm among the public.

"It is like a small-town mentality transformed into a worldly view marked by inclusiveness and calmness. We welcome the Olympics, but we are cool about it this time," Zhou said.

Chen agreed: "If Beijing wins this time, I won't be waving flags or shouting, but I will welcome the Olympics, just a bit more reserved this time. It's an occasion worth celebration," he said.

"There is no doubt that the public's opinion of the Olympics is higher than many other countries," said Shen Xue, China's famous figure skater and ambassador of China's 2022 bid.

A national poll showed that more than 95 percent of people supported the bid. A random street interview of 20 people conducted by Xinhua proved so, with a few voicing concerns over the games' impact on daily life.

If Beijing succeeds, it will not just create history as the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics, it will also be a fitting present for President Xi Jinping, who is known to be a sports fan.

Zhang Jiandong, Beijing's vice mayor and vice president of the bid committee, promised that Beijing's bid was closely aligned with the International Olympic Council's 2020 goals for a more frugal, more athlete-oriented games.

Beijing is implementing a clean air act to improve air quality. It has also banned smoking in public places from June 1 this year.

"The public has reason for high expectations because Beijing is truly a strong candidate, but economic strength and people's support can not guarantee a country to win the bid," warned Huang Yaling, a professor with Beijing Sports University.

"As much as the public desires the games, they have to be calm about it. For this reason, China's bidding efforts have been low-key, it showed confidence and grownup mentality it derived as an Olympic host," Huang said. (Zhao Ran, Liu Min contributed to the story)