Nangou Village, Jilin City, Jilin Province, northeast China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of people skiing
2. Aerial shots of snow-capped forest, river
3. Aerial shots of Nangou Village
4. Various of guesthouse owners welcoming tourists
5. Various of tourists checking in at guesthouse counter
6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Yang Baoqing, guesthouse owner (starting with shot 5/ending with shot 7):
"I've been running the guesthouse for 16 years since 2011. My business grew from just 3 rooms to more than 50 rooms.”
7. Various of Yang showing guesthouse, guest room facilities to reporter
8. Yang serving tourists
9. Reporter entering restaurant
10. Various of local food in pot
11. Woodfire
12. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) tourist (name not given) (starting with shots 10-11):
"It's my first time in northeast China. I found that the people here are incredibly hospitable. Whenever we have any questions, we would tell the guesthouse owner, and they are always very helpful in answering it."
13. Various of tourists dining
14. Various of chef cooking
15. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zeng Xiangming, chef (starting with shot 14):
"I get a higher salary during this season, as this is a seasonal job here."
16. Various of chef cooking
17. Various of workers serving dishes for tourists

China’s booming snow and ice economy has transformed the once-quiet winter into a busy and profitable time for rural areas in northeast China, such as Nangou Village in Jilin City, helping local people increase their income and providing tourists a world-class skiing experience.

For years, winters in northeast China meant staying indoors and taking things slow through nearly half a year of bitter cold. The combination of winter sports and rural tourism has turned what was once an off-season into a peak period for local incomes.

Situated along the "golden skiing belt" at 43 degrees north latitude, Jilin City in northeast China's Jilin Province boasts high-quality snow and an extended snow season. These natural advantages are attracting skiers from across the country and around the world, injecting new vitality into the local rural economy.

"I've been running the guesthouse for 16 years since 2011. My business grew from just 3 rooms to more than 50 rooms," said Yang Baoqing, a guesthouse owner in Nangou Village.

Nangou Village sits at the foot of the Beidahu Ski Resort. The village now boasts 149 guesthouses with more than 800 rooms, capable of hosting up to 2,000 visitors at a time. The winter tourism boom has brought each household tens of thousands of U.S. dollars in annual income.

Just a 10-minute drive from the ski resort in Nangou Village, tourists can find everything they need for skiing, as well as food bursting with authentic local flavors.

"It's my first time in northeast China. I found that the people here are incredibly hospitable. Whenever we have any questions, we would tell the guesthouse owner, and they are always very helpful in answering it," said a tourist.

The guesthouse industry has also created many high-paying jobs for nearby villagers. Some of them do farm work in summer and come to work in guesthouses in winter to earn some extra income.

"I get a higher salary during this season, as this is a seasonal job here," said chef Zeng Xiangming.