BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- As Beijing Olympic Winter Games entered an 18-day countdown, Helena, an Italian student studying at Arts and Design Academy of Tsinghua University, feels more and more excited to play her role in the opening ceremony of the sporting extravaganza.
Helena, whose mother is Chinese, has been fully prepared for nearly three months since she became a volunteer in the National Stadium where the opening ceremony of Beijing 2022 will be held on February 4.
"I was selected after being recommended by my teachers. This is my first time volunteering for such a large-scale event. I'll serve as a volunteer in the performance group. We often rehearse for the best presentation at the opening ceremony," Helena said.
"I think it gives me a better understanding of Chinese aesthetics," Helena noted.
At the time of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, Helena was still young and didn't know much about Chinese culture. Nowadays, Chinese culture attracts more and more foreigners' attention.
Helena said: "More and more people love Chinese culture, I believe that the Beijing Winter Olympics, which is full of Chinese cultural elements, will win the favor of people all over the world."
Moreover, Helena has gained more understanding and practice of ice and snow sports.
"Because I grew up in Guangzhou, a southern city of China, I seldom see snow when I was young. Tsinghua has organized some ice skating activities for us, and we have slowly discovered the fun in it and love it," she said.
Like many people, Helena deeply felt the changes brought about by the preparations for the Winter Olympics. In China, more than 300 million people have got into the ice and snow sports since Beijing, together with Zhangjiakou, won the bid in 2015 to host the 2022 Winter Games.
"In recent years, China's ice and snow sports have gradually become popular, among young people in particular. Now, you can often see Chinese people skiing or skating," Helena said.
"I am looking forward to the opening ceremony, and believes we can achieve what we expected at the beginning," she noted. ■
