By Li Nan

Shan Zhaojian， Chinas first national skiing champion， seals the window of the tiny room that faces north in his apartment. This is the 84 year olds treasure house： dozens of skis， trophies and certificates， as well as piles and piles of books on skiing. “These fur-covered skis are precious proofs of the origins of skiing， and I have to keep the dust away，” Shan told Beijing Review.

Shan has been hitting the slopes for nearly 70 years. Born in Tonghua， Jilin Province， a winter wonderland of ice and snow， he has been captivated by the sight of snow since childhood. “I feel happy even just hearing the snow softly squeak when I walk on it，” Shan said. Since young Shan didnt have any skis， he would sprinkle some water onto the soles of his straw shoes and after they had frozen over， theyd become a simple kind of “skate slash ski.” “Skating down the road was something we did for fun，” he added.

A slippery slope

When Shan was 17， he joined the local skiing team. Two years later， he won his first national skiing championship， back in 1957.

“Chinas skiing sport had a rough start，” Shan said. Both the training and living conditions were tough. Shan had neither cutting-edge skis nor gear， and neither specialized textbook nor coach. His first coach was a physical education teacher. The second one was a Russian language teacher， who translated skiing directions from Russian books and taught them to the young skiers.

Shans first skis were made of wood. “I shortened and narrowed it to fit my stature，” he said. Even wooden skis were a highly prized possession in the 1950s， something athletes were willing to sacrifice their lives for. One day， Shan and his teammates took to the training fields by truck. Unfortunately， the truck overturned on the snowy road. Rather than considering their own safety， they firmly held onto the skis to prevent them from being damaged. “It was because skiing boards were expensive，” Shan said. How about the gear？ “Our everyday clothing was our gear，” Shan added.

Whats worse， Chinese athletes back in the day were undernourished. Every athlete was given 1 kg of sugar per month as a nutritional supplement. Beef would be available on occasion. And every skier could have a loaf of bread after a full day of training. “Whenever I ate that bread， I felt like I was living the good life. That was one of the reasons for my joining the team，” Shan said.

“Skiing is an industry， which requires much support from different respects，” Shan said. China was underdeveloped before its reform and opening up in 1978. Every single link in the countrys skiing sport was weak back then. Consequently， it took decades to develop into a bigger， better business.