CHONGLI, China — Out here, in the land of China’s Winter Olympics ambitions, there is more propaganda than snow.
Some traces of white cling to the brown hills like dandruff, but along the travel route intended for International Olympic Committee officials, billboards featuring skiers, snowboarders and children have been hastily erected in an attempt to inspire confidence. “Making the bidding effors,” one proclaims in less-than-perfectly spelled English. “Sharing the China Dream.”
Never mind that Chongli, the proposed site for the Olympic Village and Nordic skiing events in Beijing’s bid to host the 2022 Winter Games, is 150 miles from the capital by automobile or that, Yanqing, the town designated for Alpine ski competitions, gets about two inches of snow annually.
Yet if anything is in shorter supply than snow, it is confidence in hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics. All five democratic nations that once considered bidding for the Games have pulled out, largely because of overwhelming public opposition.
Chongli
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Though relatively few Chinese have ever snapped on a pair of skis, President Xi Jinping vowed in a letter to the International Olympic Committee that the Games would “ignite the passion” for winter sports among China’s 1.3 billion people.
The awareness campaign has already begun. A few miles from the Genting ski resort, Wu Jifu, 57, a shepherd, watched his flock graze in the shadow of an Olympic billboard.
“Officials came to my village,” he said, “and handed out brochures about skiing.”
Chen Jiehao contributed research.
A version of this article appears in print on February 17, 2015, on page A8 of the New York edition with the headline: Shortage of Snow Aside, China Jumps Into Bid for 2022 Winter Games. Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe
