In a strategic response to the rapidly expanding winter sports sector, a Beijing court has implemented groundbreaking judicial measures to address the complex legal challenges emerging from China’s burgeoning ice-snow economy. The Yanqing District People’s Court, located in a key winter sports region, reported a striking 328% increase in snow-related cases over three years, with 30 disputes adjudicated in just the first ten months of 2025 compared to merely seven throughout 2023.
According to Chief Judge Zheng Dongmei of the court’s first civil division, this dramatic surge correlates directly with innovative business models that have transformed the winter tourism landscape. The industry has evolved beyond traditional skiing to encompass integrated operations, venue leasing arrangements, specialized children’s snow parks, educational programming, and professional sports training. These developments, coupled with emerging consumption patterns like prepaid packages and group purchasing schemes, have significantly complicated legal relationships between service providers and consumers.
The judicial system has responded with a multi-faceted approach that includes cross-regional collaboration with courts in Hebei province’s Zhangjiakou and Chongli districts—key venues from the 2022 Winter Olympics. This cooperation has produced standardized judicial interpretations for common legal issues within the winter sports industry, ensuring consistent application of legal principles across jurisdictions.
Beyond adjudication, the Yanqing court has established specialized rapid-response channels and dedicated offices specifically for winter sports disputes, significantly streamlining legal processes for consumers and skiing enthusiasts. The court has also initiated an extensive outreach program, deploying legal teams to conduct over 50 educational seminars at communities, businesses, and ski resorts to enhance public awareness of legal rights and protections.
Looking beyond immediate jurisdictional boundaries, the court has engaged in knowledge-sharing with nine provincial courts from traditionally winter sports-intensive regions including Jilin and Heilongjiang. This collaborative network, strengthened by academic partnerships with China University of Political Science and Law and Beijing Sport University, focuses on developing specialized legal expertise and cultivating judicial talent equipped to handle the unique complexities of winter sports litigation.