I. Why This Industry in Jilin Deserves Attention

Jilin Province is not a traditional powerhouse in cultural, educational, sports and entertainment products manufacturing, yet it merits study for two distinct reasons. First, Jilin possesses China's densest concentration of ski resources and a mature ice-sports infrastructure — Changbai Mountain, Beidahu, and Wanke Songhua Lake attract large volumes of domestic and international skiers, providing both application scenarios and market pull for locally-made ice-snow equipment. Second, intangible cultural heritage assets including Songhua inkstones, Chagan Lake fish-skin paintings, and Korean ethnic musical instruments give Jilin's craft goods sector a distinctive identity.

These two threads do not intersect, yet together they sketch an emerging industry still in its formative phase.

II. Ice-Snow Equipment: From Resource Province to Manufacturing Hub

Following the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Jilin Province designated ice-snow equipment manufacturing as a priority development sector. In December 2024, the provincial party committee and government issued implementation guidelines targeting ice-snow equipment industry output exceeding 5 billion CNY by 2030, with a planned spatial layout of "one core, three auxiliaries": Changchun as the R&D and manufacturing hub, Jilin City for leisure ice-snow equipment, Liaoyuan for ice-snow apparel, with Songyuan and Yanbian as supplementary nodes (Source: Jilin Provincial Government, December 2024).

Among existing enterprises, three stand out. Liaoyuan Dehong Ice-Snow Sports Technology Co., Ltd. focuses on ski boots, with Phase 1 capacity planned at 300,000 pairs and Phase 2 — expected by end of 2025 — to produce 100,000 ski boards annually. Changchun Bainingdun Sports Equipment Co., Ltd. was founded by a retired short-track speed skating athlete and has developed self-proprietary ice skates and blades, holding 28 authorized patents with annual revenue approaching 40 million CNY. Jilin Chemical Fiber Group has extended its carbon fiber capabilities into ski boards, producing equipment approximately 30% lighter and 3–5 times stronger than conventional fiberglass boards (Source: Sina Finance, January 2025). All three companies' products were tested or promoted around the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

It should be noted that the 5 billion CNY target is a policy aspiration. The current industrial foundation remains substantially below that level, with most enterprises small in scale and supply chain support incomplete.

III. Songhua Inkstone: Commercializing a Millennium Heritage

Songhua inkstones originate from Tonghua in southeastern Jilin, carved from Songhua stone found in the upper reaches of the Songhua River in the Changbai Mountain range. The product received national geographic indication protection in 2011, with brand value assessed at over 3 billion CNY (Source: Dengta Foundation). Tonghua's Da'an township is the production core, with annual raw stone extraction exceeding 50,000 tonnes and a fully integrated "extraction–selection–carving–sales" industrial park model.

In terms of scale, around 2010, Tonghua produced over 20,000 Songhua inkstones annually with revenue exceeding 100 million CNY. More recently, extensions into teaware and decorative objects have pushed estimated annual output to over 200 million CNY (Source: Sina Collections 2010; Antu County Government 2024). Overall, Songhua inkstones represent the most data-supported and geographically concentrated niche within Jilin's craft manufacturing sector.

IV. Chagan Lake Fish-Skin Paintings: Intangible Heritage Toward Consumer Products

The fishing and hunting culture of Chagan Lake is a national-level intangible cultural heritage. Fish-skin painting, one of its material expressions, has been extending from pure handicrafts toward tourism consumer goods. Leading inheritor Xu Cui's team has developed over 200 product types including DIY lamp material kits and winter-themed ornaments; sales in 2024 exceeded 20,000 pieces, reaching markets in Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia, backed by 40 registered design patents (Source: Jilin Culture and Civilization Network, December 2024).

Fish-skin painting production remains studio-scale with no factory-level industrialization. Its value lies primarily in cultural tourism branding rather than volume manufacturing.

V. Musical Instruments, Toys, and Office Supplies: Data Gaps Acknowledged

Korean ethnic musical instruments — including the gayageum and janggu — have handcraft traditions in the Yanbian region, but no quantitative industry data (output value, enterprise count, scale) appeared in publicly accessible sources. This institute found no credible statistics and makes no estimates.

For toys and educational supplies, Changchun hosts several small-scale manufacturers, but no provincial aggregated data is publicly available. Concentration into recognized clusters has not been observed.

VI. Supply Chain Perspective

Ice-snow equipment upstream covers carbon fiber, high-polymer composites, and metal profiles for blade mounting. Jilin Chemical Fiber provides local carbon fiber precursor supply, though intermediate processing largely depends on out-of-province sourcing. Downstream connects to ski resort operators, sports retail chains, and e-commerce channels. Songhua inkstones rely on upstream raw stone quarrying and downstream gift trade and cultural tourism. The two sub-sectors have distinct supply chain structures with limited cross-synergy.

Sales teams supplying raw materials, components, or distribution channels to ice-snow equipment manufacturers and craft goods producers can access Jilin Province factory directories and key contact information through Tianxia Gongchang, filtering by industry and region.

VII. Research Institute Assessment

Jilin Province's cultural, educational, sports and entertainment products manufacturing sector is currently in an early-stage development phase — structurally dispersed and limited in aggregate scale. Ice-snow equipment is the most visible growth trajectory, driven by both policy support and post-Winter Olympics market momentum, with embryonic lead enterprises, though the path to the 5 billion CNY goal requires sustained enterprise cultivation and infrastructure investment. Songhua inkstones represent the most concentrated and research-worthy sub-segment. Heritage craft goods such as fish-skin paintings have limited commercial scale but strong brand recognition potential. Musical instruments, toys, and office supplies lack data, and this institute declines to speculate.

The practical significance of this industry may lie less in its manufacturing volume than in the directed upstream demand it creates — arising from the combination of ice-sports application scenarios and Changbai Mountain cultural assets.

Data Sources

  • Tianxia Gongchang (Jilin Province cultural, educational, sports and entertainment manufacturing factory directory and industry data)
  • Jilin Provincial Government, Implementation Opinions on Promoting High-Quality Development of Jilin Ice-Snow Economy, December 2024
  • Jilin Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Implementation Plan for Cultivating Ice-Snow Equipment and Devices Industry, June 2025
  • Sina Finance, Technology Empowers Jilin Ice-Snow Equipment, January 2025
  • Dengta Foundation, Songhua Inkstone: Changbai Mountain Treasure and Geographic Indication Heritage
  • Jilin Culture and Civilization Network, Intangible Heritage Jilin: Songhua Stone (Inkstone), December 2024
  • Jilin Culture and Civilization Network, Intangible Heritage Jilin: Chagan Lake Fish-Skin Painting, December 2024
  • People's Daily Jilin Channel, Antu County Develops Songhua Stone Processing Industry, November 2024
  • Sina Collections, Tonghua Annual Output of Songhua Inkstones Exceeds 20,000, 2010