The 9th Asian Winter Games was successfully held in Harbin, and each exciting competition not only ignited the enthusiasm for ice and snow sports, but also better demonstrated the development prospects of the ice and snow economy. Ice and snow are also mountains of gold and silver. The Central Economic Work Conference proposed to actively develop the ice and snow economy; This year's Government Work Report has put forward requirements for actively developing ice and snow sports and ice and snow economy. The ice and snow economy is not only an inevitable product of China's consumption upgrade, but also a new driving force for high-quality economic development. The ice and snow economy is a comprehensive economic system centered on ice and snow resources, integrating diverse industries such as tourism, sports, equipment manufacturing, and cultural creativity. The ice and snow economy has the characteristics of a long industrial chain, large diversion effect, and high social benefits. Through the extension of the industrial chain, it can activate related industries such as equipment manufacturing and digital services, and effectively play a role in promoting growth, adjusting structure, and promoting urban-rural integration. The Research Report on the Development of China's Ice and Snow Industry (2024) shows that the scale of China's ice and snow industry has grown from 270 billion yuan in 2015 to 970 billion yuan in 2024, and is expected to exceed the trillion yuan mark by 2025. The development practices in various regions also reflect the broad prospects of the ice and snow economy. In Jilin Province, 125 million tourists were received during the ice and snow season from 2023 to 2024, a year-on-year increase of 121%; The tourism revenue was 241.9 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 140%. In Heilongjiang Province, during the ice and snow season from 2024 to 2025, Yabuli Ski Resort received 1.21 million visitors, a year-on-year increase of 10%. Some provinces in the southern region have also seen the development prospects of the ice and snow economy and actively planned to focus on extending the industrial chain and integrating industries to carry out cultural, tourism, and sports integration activities. According to relevant research reports, the number of ski resorts in Zhejiang Province and Jiangsu Province has reached 23 and 22 respectively, ranking 11th and 13th in the country. In terms of the number of indoor ski resorts, there are 15 in the Yangtze River Delta region, ranking first in the country. It can be said that the ice and snow economy is breaking down the natural barriers formed by climate and geography, and the models of "professional sports+mass entertainment" and "northward and southward travel+host guest sharing" are forming. After years of development, the northern region has formed a complete chain of "resource development facility construction service output", while the southern region has achieved partial breakthroughs, but still faces many difficulties in practice. The technical cost is relatively high, and the energy consumption of manual snow making accounts for nearly 50% of the operating cost of the ski resort; The industrial chain is relatively fragile, with a low domestication rate of ice and snow equipment in the south, and a high dependence on imported high-end snow making machines, snow rollers, and other equipment; The consumer market still needs further cultivation, and the trend of homogeneous competition among enterprises is more obvious. Overall, the ice and snow economy presents a situation of "strong in the north and weak in the south". This is mainly due to the hard constraints of natural endowments, with some areas in the north having an average annual snow period of over 140 days and high snow stability, while the south relies more on artificial snow making. The soft conditions of local culture are also an important factor. The cultural heritage of ice and snow in the north is profound, but the awareness of ice and snow culture among southern consumers still needs to be enhanced. Currently, the importance of changing the "strong north and weak south" situation of the ice and snow economy is becoming increasingly prominent. Focusing on expanding domestic demand in all aspects and better unleashing consumption potential is an important measure. The southern region has a large population, especially in economically developed areas such as Shanghai, Jiangsu Province, and Zhejiang Province where per capita disposable income is relatively high. If the penetration rate of ice and snow consumption in the southern region continues to increase, the market size of the ice and snow economy will significantly expand, achieving development increment driven by demand increment. Focusing on optimizing the pattern of national spatial development, we also need to consider alleviating the pressure of high development intensity and narrowing development space. At present, the constraints on ecological carrying capacity in the northern region are constantly increasing. Activating the development space of the ice and snow economy in the southern region can effectively promote the "northward snow southward movement" and scientifically carry out industrial layout. To better change the situation of "strong in the north and weak in the south" in the ice and snow economy, we need to adhere to a systematic approach, promote multidimensional innovation, and accelerate the transformation of ice and snow "cold resources" into "hot driving forces" for economic development. One is to break through the constraints of natural endowments with new technologies in technological innovation. Whether it is building virtual real interaction scenarios, breaking physical space limitations, or developing new technologies and materials to reduce snow making and maintenance costs, all are technological innovations aimed at addressing the climate gaps in the south, and empowering traditional production factors with new technologies. We need to focus on the needs of ice and snow sports and ice and snow tourism, organize collaborative research and development between industry, academia, and research, accelerate breakthroughs in key technologies for ice and snow equipment, and increase innovation in energy-saving technologies. At the same time, we will strengthen the dominant position of enterprises in scientific and technological innovation, support small and medium-sized enterprises to focus on their advantageous fields, cultivate and develop specialized technologies. Secondly, in terms of factor guarantee, optimize factor allocation through policy leverage. Strengthen land resource management, encourage localities with conditions to focus on meeting the demand for ice and snow economic land on the basis of complying with the overall national spatial planning, and arrange spatial layout reasonably. It is possible to consider combining the redevelopment of inefficient urban land, promoting the revitalization of existing land, guiding the construction of low-carbon ice and snow venues, or allowing the use of abandoned factories and warehouses to transform into ski resorts to reduce land costs. Thirdly, in terms of industrial development, it is better to cultivate the industrial ecology through the development of "ice and snow+". Guided by ice and snow sports, we will drive the development of the entire industry chain of ice and snow culture, ice and snow equipment, and ice and snow tourism. Through element restructuring, we will activate the potential of related industries and accelerate the construction of a modern ice and snow industry system. Especially in creating integrated business models such as "ice and snow+health care", efforts need to be made to strengthen collaborative innovation in the industrial chain, promote interconnectivity of technical standards, and enhance the resilience and safety level of the industrial chain. At the same time, deepen regional industrial cooperation, promote cross regional flow of factors, and effectively combine the advantages of ice and snow resource development and equipment manufacturing in the northern region with the capital and market advantages in the southern region. In addition, it is necessary to focus on cultivating the ice and snow consumption market to promote and expand ice and snow consumption, and to drive the ice and snow economy to become a new growth point. Efforts need to be made in enriching ice and snow consumption products, optimizing the ice and snow consumption environment, and improving the ice and snow standard system. In the north, Harbin, known as the "Ice City," has leveraged its ice and snow culture and economy to boost consumption. During this year's Spring Festival holiday, it received a total of 12.151 million tourists, a year-on-year increase of 20.4%. In the south, the theme tourism routes in Xuzhou, Jiangsu integrate elements such as ice and snow, picking, and cuisine, promoting the development of skiing from a single sport to a combination of vacation and leisure. These are all examples. Next, it is necessary to further innovate the consumption mode of ice and snow, integrate local ski resort resources, and further activate the scale and synergy effects of the ice and snow economy through the construction of a unified national market. (New Society)