The snow may be artificial, but the joy of skiing is authentic. With the debut of a large ski area, residents in northwestern China Lanzhou city can now enjoy the thrill of snow skiing before the first snow falls on the city. The ski area is also the largest in northwestern China. Our reporter xxx has the details.

REPORTER:

It might have once been beyond our wildest imaginations that Lanzhou, a city known for its dryness, could create a ski field in its downtown area.

However, with the launch of the Northwest Plateau Skiing Field, this fantasy has become reality.

The ski area covers about 600 acres, or the equivalent of more than 800 soccer fields.

The manager of the ski field, Han Xueqin, says it is the best facility in northwestern China.

We have various ski trails for different levels of skiers; we have a chair lift, an elevator, and special entertainment facilities for activities such as snow motorcycling. Lanzhou's ski field should be the biggest, best-equipped facility in northwestern China.

In a city known for its scarcity of water, some may worry that such a huge ski field will be a waste of water. But Han Xueqin says the concerns are unfounded.

We take water from Yellow River directly to our pond, and make the artificial snow with four snow-producing machines imported from abroad. Every part of the process is environmentally-friendly.

The ski field is just a 20-minute drive from the city center. Many residents are excited about having the first-ever Lanzhou ski area located just at their doorways.

This ski field is fantastic. This is my second time skiing. It's so exciting!

It is necessary to build a ski field in downtown area. We used to drive a great distance to get to the nearest ski slopes. But now it's so convenient! On weekends, we can just take a couple of friends and enjoy the skiing here.

Although I don't know how to ski, I'm excited about the new ski area. Winter was a boring time for many locals. With the ski field, I believe many people will engage themselves in healthy, outdoor exercise. Plus, I know young people here love skiing.

The launch of the ski field coincides with the first Lanzhou Ice and Snow Festival. A series of activities, including an amateur skiing contest and a children's snow sculpture competition, will be held. The festival will run through the Spring Festival.