SKATING ONANOTHER LEVEL

Wang Zhe

Anyone familiar with Chinese figure skating probably knows the names Pang Qing and Tong Jian. Trained by Yao Bin， a renowned Chinese figure skating coach， the couple started skating together back in 1993. Pang and Tong were ranked among the world’s top five at least 13 times， won the pairs world championship three times， and took silver at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

After retiring， Pang Qing and Tong Jian dove into entrepreneurship. In 2018， the couple built and opened the Pang Qing Tong Jian Figure Skating Art Center， the largest dedicated skating center in Asia. They also organized more than 60 free training sessions， part of the national efforts to fulfill China’s commitment to “engage 300 million people in ice and snow activities.” The couple has been one of the greatest contributors to igniting interest in winter sports among young people.

A Chinese duo is drawing more people to winter sports

Entrepreneurship became much more important for the couple than winning gold or making money.

Entrepreneurship

The Pang Qing Tong Jian Figure Skating Art Center is situated in Pingfangqiao outside the East Fifth Ring Road in Beijing， a 20-minute-drive from the capital’s Central Business District （CBD）. Around 200 children visit the center each day to learn figure skating.

Ten years after retiring， Pang Qing has become a mother of two and gained some silver hair， but remains as slim and elegant as ever. Tong Jian also maintains his body shape and the agility and energy of an athlete. “Maintaining your physique is necessary to instruct students skating or do a performance，” said Pang.

For Pang and Tong， figure skating is a relentless artistic pursuit. Compared to other leading sporting countries， China is relatively weak in figure skating. So after retiring， rather than cashing in on paid tours like many skaters do， the couple immediately dove right into a figure skating business. Entrepreneurship became much more important for the couple than winning gold or making money.

In 2015， Pang Qing and Tong Jian officially retired after finishing their farewell performance at the World Figure Skating Championships in Shanghai. Soon， the couple was planning to build the Yixiang Ice & Snow Fashion Ltd. and embarking on a business journey.

They mapped out their business goals even before retiring. Since launching free skating classes in 2015， they have been focusing on scouting and training talented children. Over the past six years， their goals became clearer. The couple is well aware that China’s winter sports sector remains in its infancy. “We developed a model to cultivate athletes， but great potential remains to be tapped in terms of the industrialization and commercialization of winter sports，” said Tong. “We need to continue exploring sustainable development of the sporting industry through which we can promote the social values of sports. This is a historical mission of our generation of athletes.”

In 2016， Pang and Tong established a club to train figure skaters. Tong was quite confident at first because they had enough money to run the club， and he hoped to build a skating center to offer more children a better place to learn skating.

However， they soon encountered obstacles. Without cooperating partners， the couple had to find a place to build the club by themselves. It was not easy， and the couple finally found an old factory on Beijing’s East Fifth Ring Road. They planned to invest a bit more than 10 million yuan to build the structure， but the cost ballooned thanks to a load of unexpected expenses. Construction was even shut down due to accidents， forcing the couple to change contractors， which significantly delayed the whole progress.

“I remember quite clearly that we were literally working with cold water being poured on our heads，” said Tong of one early class on the first floor while the second floor was still in construction. “A water pipeburst， and the water started spraying all over our heads. But the children’s parents did not blame us. They remained supportive because they understood we were in a difficult time.”

To build the skating and art center， Pang and Tong had to empty their pockets and secure investment from the Huace Group and two Peking University classmates. The couple’s goal was to make the center a stage for figure skating performances and musicals on ice. On June 18， 2018， the center bearing the couple’s names officially opened.

“We were athletes before， so we knew how to brace for difficulties，” said Tong. They have learned a lot over the past six years. “Once I started， I realized I knew nothing about running a business. I had no idea about corporate organization， and was confused about hiring people and key performance indicators （KPI）.” So Tong headed to Peking University to study business management， befriending many businesspeople along the way.

In retrospect， the two years of studies helped him solve specific problems directly and efficiently. Tong said that studying marketing， finance， and HR management opened another window for him. “The most important thing is that I finally understood the entrepreneurial spirit. I became more openminded and far-sighted.”While many ice venues

were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic， Pang and Tong decided to continue operation. They strictly followed COVID-19 protocols and took on considerable preparation work as the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games approached.

Spreading Sporting Spirit

Rather than a cold competition and training venue， the couple’s skating center is more like a vibrant fairyland for students to learn skating. They receive training on the rink and also attend physical training in adjacent dance classrooms. Parents can wait and chat in a waiting area. After training， children can eat with their parents in the tea room and do homework in the study room.

Tong reported that the total area of the skating center is about 7，400 square meters including 2，400 square meters of ice and 4，400 square meters of auxiliary space including indoor tracks， strength training rooms， dance rooms， rehearsal rooms， and a gym.

“We have done everything possible to improve the ice surface，” said Tong. “To guarantee 100 percent ice purity， we cover the 2，000-square-meter surface with ice made from purified water. We also installed LED lights to protect children’s eyes， and the air purifiers are at work 24 hours a day to remove PM2.5.”

To make the center more attractive， the couple added multiple functional areas. They installed auxiliary equipment and built a badminton court， café， reading area， study room， dance room， table tennis tables， and even LEGO display walls and small meeting rooms. The skating art center slowly evolved into an art space with multiple functions.

“I remember learning to skate on frozen rivers when I was a kid，” said Tong. “We borrowed obsolete equipment， made our own outfits， and studied skating moves on videos. Figure skating changed our lives， so we wanted to give something back to it. We reached a new life stage because we didn’t stop pursuing our dreams. We want to create the best place for instructors and children to avoid unnecessary mistakes and become excellent skaters.”

“Figure skating is more than a sport，” opined Tong. “It is about expressing an attitude towards life through art. There is a saying that children who learn music will never go bad， but I think that kids who learn figure skating will become even more excellent.”

“Our students’ parents agree with me on that， because they understand that figure skating is quite a complex activity that stresses explosiveness， speed， strength， balance， and coordination. Figure skating combines moves and music， creating the unique charm of figure skating and abundant cultural implications through integration of sports and art.” Tong wants to move past stereotypes about sports training that depict it as all suffering and hardship. They want people to gain happiness through sports.

Their performance at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games was easily the highlight of the couple’s figure skating career. Dancing to “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha gave them the top score in free skate. Even though they were edged out by the other Chinese pair of Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo， Pan and Tong still felt glorious about winning the silver. It was an unforgettable experience for Tong in which he learned new things. “We skate not only to score high and win， but also to stay positive and strong in the face of setbacks.”

As the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games drew near， the couple became busier. They sent students to participate in the games and sang the Winter Olympic theme song “Together for a Shared Future” With celebrity singers Chen Weiting and Yuan Yawei. The “We Are One” ice musical was featured as a cultural show during the Winter Olympic Games. They finally managed to integrate their personal dreams into the country’s dreams about sports.

Pang and Tong were full of anticipation for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. “It is marvelous that Chinese athletes could take part in the Olympic Winter Games at home，” Pang said. “Relentless efforts of generations of Chinese skaters like my coach Yao Bin resulted in the international community finally seeing and recognizing the confidence and power of Chinese athletes.”