Connect with us

Technology

CGTN: China’s booming ice and snow industry fuels its economic growth

Published

on

BEIJING, Feb. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Harbin, capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, exemplifies the country’s thriving ice and snow economy.

During the eight-day 2025 Spring Festival holiday from January 28 to February 4, the city has seen booming snow tourism. As an ice-themed park known for its dazzling ice sculptures, Harbin Ice-Snow World attracted over 610,000 visits. In particular, more than 100,000 visits were made on February 1, setting a new record for single-day attendance.

The increasing popularity of the park is partly attributed to the city’s upcoming role as the host of the 9th Asian Winter Games, which will be held from February 7 to 14, marking China’s second major winter sports event following the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games and host a welcome banquet for foreign leaders in attendance.

Ice and snow economy enters ‘fast lane’

Xi has paid close attention to the development of China’s ice and snow sports and industries, urging efforts to consider ice and snow economy as a new growth point to promote the development of the whole industrial chain involving winter sports and culture, snow-and-ice equipment and tourism.

In recent years, as winter sports and tourism surged in popularity across China, the ice and snow economy has witnessed significant growth.

According to the General Administration of Sport of China, the number of people participating in various ice and snow sports such as skating, skiing, curling and ice hockey nationwide reached 57.35 million in the 2023-2024 snow season. Over 385 million winter leisure visits nationwide were recorded, marking a 38 percent increase from the previous year.

During the last snow season, Harbin alone welcomed over 87 million visitors, marking a 300 percent year-on-year increase and generating 124.8 billion yuan (about $17.4 billion) in tourism revenue – a staggering 500 percent growth.

Meanwhile, the ice and snow consumption is becoming an important growth point to expand domestic demand, transforming the “cold” resources into “hot” engine for economic development.

According to online shopping and tourism platforms, orders for ice and snow equipment surged, while searches and bookings for ice and snow tours saw rapid growth during the “Double 11” shopping festival last year.

On China’s leading e-commerce platform, Tmall, sales of categories such as down jackets, thermal wear and skiing equipment surged by over 200 percent year on year during the “Double 11” shopping festival.

Broad prospects

To harness its abundant ice and snow resources for economic development, China is intensifying efforts to expand its winter economy, encompassing sports, culture, equipment, and tourism.

According to the guidelines issued by the General Office of the State Council, the country aims to promote its ice and snow economy as a new growth point, with the goal of reaching an economic scale of 1.2 trillion yuan (about $169 billion) by 2027, and 1.5 trillion yuan by 2030.

To achieve these goals, various cities and regions are integrating winter sports and tourism into their development plans.

The Heilongjiang Province is promoting the establishment of a China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization winter sports demonstration zone, expediting the development of ice-and-snow equipment and digital industry parks.

In Beijing, the city has launched an action plan, proposing 24 specific measures in areas such as expanding the ice and snow sports and consumption, and advancing the construction of ice and snow venue facilities.

The vigorous growth of the ice and snow economy has also drawn global attention. A slew of measures, including optimizing the visa-free policy and opening new international flight routes, have attracted a number of foreign tourists to start their “China Travel” and enjoy the winter season in the country.

China’s thriving ice and snow economy has also injected new momentum into the global tourism market, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Thursday, extending a warm invitation to friends from around the world to participate in ice and snow events, fostering friendship and cooperation.

For more information, please click:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-06/China-s-booming-ice-and-snow-industry-fuels-its-economic-growth–1ALQPnOkxO0/p.html 

SOURCE CGTN

Continue Reading

Technology

Lexar Launches the Professional SILVER GO microSDXC™ UHS-I Card

Published

on

By

V30 rating provides seamless 4K 60fps recording

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Lexar, a global leader in memory and storage, today announced the new Lexar® Professional SILVER GO microSDXC™ UHS-I Card, a versatile storage solution designed for videographers, gamers and creators who need reliable, high-performance storage across their favorite portable devices with microSD slots. Combining fast data transfers, support for high-quality video capture and durable construction, the new card helps users spend less time managing storage and more time creating and capturing their next adventure.

“Gamers and creators are pushing their hardware harder than ever, from massive game libraries to hours of 4K footage. We designed the Lexar SILVER GO so their storage is never the thing holding them back.”

“Gamers and creators are pushing their hardware harder than ever, from massive game libraries to hours of 4K footage. We designed the Lexar SILVER GO so their storage is never the thing holding them back,” said Lizette Lynch, Director of Brand Marketing at Lexar North America. “With a combination of fast transfers, reliable performance and rugged durability, the SILVER GO gives users the speed and storage they need to capture, create and play with confidence.”

The Lexar SILVER GO microSD Card offers top-notch performance of max read speeds of 250MB/s and max write speeds of 180MB/s1. Users can reach max transfer speeds when pairing the cards with the Lexar microSD/SD Reader. With a V30 Video Speed Class rating, the Lexar SILVER GO microSD Card delivers smooth, uninterrupted 4K 60fps Ultra HD recording and keeps pace with rapid-fire burst shooting. The Lexar SILVER GO microSD Card is optimized for action cameras, drones and handheld consoles including DJI, Insta360, GoPro, Nintendo Switch, and Steam Deck2, to name a few.

Available in capacities 64GB-512GB, the SILVER GO microSDXC is built for durability, with features such as IPX7 waterproof, wearproof, drop-proof, temperature-proof, X-ray-proof, shockproof, magnetic-proof, and vibration resistance. The free Lexar Recovery Tool gives users peace of mind, helping users attempt to recover accidentally deleted files. Separately, Lexar products are backed by a limited lifetime warranty, subject to applicable terms and conditions.

The Lexar SILVER GO microSDXC is available through Amazon, with the 512GB available at an MSRP of $144.99, 256GB available at an MSRP of $84.99, 128GB available at an MSRP of $54.99, and 64GB available at an MSRP of $34.99. For more information, visit americas.lexar.com.

Lexar Professional SILVER GO microSDXC™ UHS-I Card Availability:

LINK: https://americas.lexar.com/product/lexar-professional-silver-go-microsdxc-uhs-i-card/

1 Speeds based on internal testing. Actual performance may vary.

2 All product and company names, and brands mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Their use is for identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement, sponsorship or affiliation with Lexar.

About Lexar

Founded in California in 1996, Lexar has dedicated 30 years advancing reliable, high-performance memory solutions and now operates more than 100,000 sales channels across six continents, serving over 100 million users in more than 70 countries. Its award-winning portfolio, from memory cards and SSDs to DRAM and mobile storage, continues to empower creators, professionals, and everyday users worldwide. For more information, please visit americas.lexar.com.

Media Contact

Media Team, Lexar, 1 6263720725, lexar@boltpr.com, https://americas.lexar.com/

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/lexar-launches-the-professional-silver-go-microsdxc-uhs-i-card-302916816.html

SOURCE Lexar

Continue Reading

Technology

Lexar Launches the Professional SILVER GO microSDXC™ UHS-I Card

Published

on

By

V30 rating provides seamless 4K 60fps recording

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Lexar, a global leader in memory and storage, today announced the new Lexar® Professional SILVER GO microSDXC™ UHS-I Card, a versatile storage solution designed for videographers, gamers and creators who need reliable, high-performance storage across their favorite portable devices with microSD slots. Combining fast data transfers, support for high-quality video capture and durable construction, the new card helps users spend less time managing storage and more time creating and capturing their next adventure.

“Gamers and creators are pushing their hardware harder than ever, from massive game libraries to hours of 4K footage. We designed the Lexar SILVER GO so their storage is never the thing holding them back.”

“Gamers and creators are pushing their hardware harder than ever, from massive game libraries to hours of 4K footage. We designed the Lexar SILVER GO so their storage is never the thing holding them back,” said Lizette Lynch, Director of Brand Marketing at Lexar North America. “With a combination of fast transfers, reliable performance and rugged durability, the SILVER GO gives users the speed and storage they need to capture, create and play with confidence.”

The Lexar SILVER GO microSD Card offers top-notch performance of max read speeds of 250MB/s and max write speeds of 180MB/s1. Users can reach max transfer speeds when pairing the cards with the Lexar microSD/SD Reader. With a V30 Video Speed Class rating, the Lexar SILVER GO microSD Card delivers smooth, uninterrupted 4K 60fps Ultra HD recording and keeps pace with rapid-fire burst shooting. The Lexar SILVER GO microSD Card is optimized for action cameras, drones and handheld consoles including DJI, Insta360, GoPro, Nintendo Switch, and Steam Deck2, to name a few.

Available in capacities 64GB-512GB, the SILVER GO microSDXC is built for durability, with features such as IPX7 waterproof, wearproof, drop-proof, temperature-proof, X-ray-proof, shockproof, magnetic-proof, and vibration resistance. The free Lexar Recovery Tool gives users peace of mind, helping users attempt to recover accidentally deleted files. Separately, Lexar products are backed by a limited lifetime warranty, subject to applicable terms and conditions.

The Lexar SILVER GO microSDXC is available through Amazon, with the 512GB available at an MSRP of $144.99, 256GB available at an MSRP of $84.99, 128GB available at an MSRP of $54.99, and 64GB available at an MSRP of $34.99. For more information, visit americas.lexar.com.

Lexar Professional SILVER GO microSDXC™ UHS-I Card Availability:

LINK: https://americas.lexar.com/product/lexar-professional-silver-go-microsdxc-uhs-i-card/

1 Speeds based on internal testing. Actual performance may vary.

2 All product and company names, and brands mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Their use is for identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement, sponsorship or affiliation with Lexar.

About Lexar

Founded in California in 1996, Lexar has dedicated 30 years advancing reliable, high-performance memory solutions and now operates more than 100,000 sales channels across six continents, serving over 100 million users in more than 70 countries. Its award-winning portfolio, from memory cards and SSDs to DRAM and mobile storage, continues to empower creators, professionals, and everyday users worldwide. For more information, please visit americas.lexar.com.

Media Contact

Media Team, Lexar, 1 6263720725, lexar@boltpr.com, https://americas.lexar.com/

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/lexar-launches-the-professional-silver-go-microsdxc-uhs-i-card-302916816.html

SOURCE Lexar

Continue Reading

Technology

Racquel Oden to Receive The ELC’s 2026 Achievement Award for Leadership in Financial Services and Expanding Opportunity

Published

on

By

HSBC executive recognized for a career building businesses, developing talent, and widening access to wealth and financial prosperity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Executive Leadership Council (ELC) will honor Racquel Oden, HSBC’s U.S. Head of International Wealth and Premier Banking and Private Banking, with the 2026 ELC Achievement Award at The ELC Recognition Gala on October 30, 2026, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

With more than 25 years of financial services experience, Oden has built a career at the intersection of business growth, client leadership, and talent development. At HSBC, she leads businesses serving affluent and globally connected clients in the United States, bringing a client-first approach to one of the world’s largest financial services organizations.

“Racquel brings a rare combination of commercial discipline and genuine investment in people,” said Michael C. Hyter, President and CEO of The Executive Leadership Council. “She understands that leadership is measured in business results, certainly, but also in the people you prepare for greater responsibility and the doors you make easier for others to open. Her career reflects the kind of enterprise leadership The ELC has championed for 40 years.”

Oden’s career spans some of the world’s most prominent financial institutions. Prior to HSBC, she served as a Managing Director at JPMorgan Chase, where she led Network Expansion and held leadership roles across national sales, Consumer Banking and Wealth Management. She previously spent eight years at Merrill Lynch in several Managing Director roles and more than a decade at UBS in senior leadership positions. She began her Wall Street career in equity trading at Morgan Stanley.

Throughout that journey, Oden has described her leadership philosophy as one rooted in service and in helping people become the strongest versions of themselves. That philosophy also informs her work to expand access to wealth, opportunity, and financial fluency.

Her leadership extends across corporate and civic institutions. Oden serves on the corporate board of National Life Group and chairs the Board of Directors of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. She also serves on the boards of the Apollo Theater and the New York City Police Foundation.

Her honors include the National Urban League’s 2026 Women of Power award and recognition among Barron’s Most Influential Women in Finance, American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Finance and Forbes’ 50 Over 50.

Oden holds a Bachelor of Arts from James Madison University and an MBA from Hampton University.

The ELC Achievement Award recognizes corporate executives whose careers reflect exceptional professional accomplishment, leadership and impact. Oden joins a distinguished group of past ELC honorees whose influence has reached across companies, industries and communities.

The ELC Marks 40 Years of Developing Leaders
Oden will receive the Achievement Award during a milestone year for The Executive Leadership Council. Founded in 1986, The ELC is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026, marking four decades of developing leaders who perform at the highest levels of business and strengthening the leadership pipeline that sustains that excellence.

The 2026 ELC Recognition Gala will take place Friday, October 30, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Hosted by Emmy Award-winning television journalist and Entertainment Tonight co-host Kevin Frazier, the black-tie celebration will feature a special musical performance by 10-time GRAMMY Award winner Chaka Khan.

The Gala is the signature fundraising event of The ELC’s 2026 Gala Week, October 28–31, which will bring together more than 3,000 members, students, senior executives and business leaders as The ELC celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Gala Week is designed to span the leadership journey. The Honors Symposium connects ELC Scholars with senior executives and hiring managers as they prepare to enter the workplace. The Mid-Level Managers’ Symposium develops high-performing professionals preparing for greater leadership responsibility. Corporate Board Navigator helps ELC members prepare for corporate board service.

ABOUT THE ELC

The Executive Leadership Council is an independent nonprofit founded in 1986 that opens channels of opportunity for the development of global executives to positively impact business and our communities. Learn more at elcinfo.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/racquel-oden-to-receive-the-elcs-2026-achievement-award-for-leadership-in-financial-services-and-expanding-opportunity-302917161.html

SOURCE The Executive Leadership Council

Continue Reading

Trending