One of the most sparsely-populated regions of China, the province has benefited heavily from the investment of winter sports in the area with new arenas and hosting major events seeing a rise in popularity.

Local government has also introduced winter sports to locals in a bid to gain community interest.

Since 2016, the Qinghai International Curling Elite, one of the top competitions in curling, has seen some of the best curlers in the world compete for the title at the Duoba National Highland Sports Training Base.

After added recognition from the sport's governing body, the World Curling Federation (WCF), the competition now counts towards global team ranking points.

Coach of the South Korean men's team, Lim Myung-sup, said during the 2019 event, "We appreciate the international-level facilities that the Elite offers and the professionalism of the staff."

At the tail end of 2019, a new ice hockey rink and curling arena was opened in the provincial capital of Xining, with the city hoping to host their own Qinghai Winter Games in 2021.

In a recent report, the China Tourism Academy said visitor numbers are set to rise to 340 million in the 2021-22 winter season across the nation and forecasts a boost in tourism revenue to $97 billion (£82.5 billion/€90.5 billion).