Figure skating on rink of big breakthrough

Two months ago, barista Ye Hong and her friend Wang Zheng, both 25, were on their way to dinner when they were captivated by the graceful movements of a young female figure skater at an ice rink.

"We should be able to do this at our age," Wang said to Ye.

The very next day, the two signed up for figure skating lessons at the same rink in Chengdu, Sichuan province.

Ye, who rarely engaged in physical exercise before, found herself obsessed with figure skating. Almost every day after work she headed straight to the rink.

"Although my work is not tiring, I sometimes encounter customers who ruin my mood," Ye said. "Here on the ice, I can fully immerse myself in my own world and stop thinking about anything else."

Wang, a fashion photographer, shares this passion, prioritizing skating even if it means working late afterward.

"I used to stay at home alone after work. A month after I started skating, I made many new friends and became much more outgoing," she said.

The pair are not alone. Since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the growing popularity of winter sports has drawn an increasing number of adults to ice rinks. Figure skating — often described as "ballet on ice" and once a niche competitive sport — is now being taken up by a growing number of young urban adults, especially women.

The latest data from online services giant Meituan reveals a surge in young consumers' interest in figure skating since the beginning of last year. Searches for "figure skating training" have increased 187 percent year-on-year, while those for "adult figure skating" have jumped by 207 percent.

Over half of the searchers are between the ages of 20 and 35. They are primarily from major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou in Guangdong province, and Wuhan in Hubei province.

Adult skaters now account for roughly 10 percent of students at the Century Star Ice Rink — where Ye and Wang train — a significant shift from almost none just a few years ago, according to Fan Ya, the rink's manager.

Liu Jiacheng, manager of the Fanhai store of Dragons International Ice Hockey Club, a major ice sports center in Wuhan, said there was 30 to 45 percent growth in adult learners last year. Currently, the store has 150 to 200 adults enrolled in courses, and an even larger pool of casual visitors.