Beijing and co-bidder Zhangjiakou's recent win to host the 2022 Olympic Winter Games has earned support from 90 percent of China's population, Beijing mayor Wang Anshun remarked.
Wang, who helmed his city's bid for the Games, said that overall, nine out of 10 Chinese people back the bid. However, in terms of per-city statistics, Beijing and Zhangjiakou earned 92 and 99 percent, respectively, according to an opinion poll.
"Such support is rarely seen in other cities bidding for the Winter Olympics and it fully reflects the Chinese people's excitement over the Games," Wang stated, noting that the poll was not conducted by the government.
The Winter Olympic bid winner was announced last month. With the recent feat, Beijing becomes the first city to host both the Games' summer and winter editions.
For analysts, this milestone could help improve the country's socio-economic growth and speed up the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regional integration.
The same sentiment was echoed by the residents of the host cities.
Di Yuchen of Hebei Province's Zhangjiakou told the Global Times that the upcoming Games could help attract more visitors to the city and subsequently boost its local economy.
"Zhangjiakou is a city with good food and beautiful natural scenery. This will be our chance to show the city to the world," he shared.
Zhang Wei, a skiing instructor at Zhangjiakou's Wanlong Ski Resort, also said that the milestone is tantamount to resorts having more visitors and earnings as well.
Majority of the citizens interviewed by the Global Times also said that they look forward to the sporting event, as the government vowed that the preparation for the Games will be pivotal in its efforts to curb air pollution.
Moreover, the construction of the high-speed railway connecting Beijing and Zhangjiakou has also earned nods from the citizens, as the travel time between the two cities can now be significantly reduced.
China will stage the 2022 Winter Olympic Games from Feb. 4 to 20. Meanwhile, the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games will be held on Mar. 4 to 13.