Ice show is hot hit

TV program on winter sports and leisure activities draws large audience, Zhao Ziyu reports.

Skating in front of cameras, Wu Chun, an actor from Brunei who now works in China, spoke enthusiastically about winter sports, a new experience for him.

"It is charming and inspiring," Wu says. "I have learned a lot about figure skating."

He and his teammates were practicing before performing in a show, called Ice on Fire, on Zhejiang Satellite TV.

"I finally understand the meaning of 'one minute onstage and 10 years offstage' when working alongside national athletes," he says. "Glory and honor is hard to win."

The TV show is among the latest reality programs related to China's successful hosting of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in February.

In the show, famous entertainers like Wu, professional athletes and winter sports enthusiasts form teams to compete in varied ice and snow games-sometimes just for fun.

The weekly show had been aired on Zhejiang Satellite TV from Jan 7 to April 2. Its popularity remains on streaming platforms-the total number of views online has reached 1.8 billion, placing it top of Chinese social networking service Sina Weibo's variety show rankings.

"The Winter Olympics have lit Chinese people's enthusiasm for winter sports. That's one of the reasons why we have so many viewers," says Chen Muxiang, a scriptwriter of the show.