Promotional material for Snow Day Photo: Courtesy of Ying Chun

Even though the curtain came down on the extraordinary Beijing Olympic Winter Games several days ago, winter sports and Chinese culture elements are still being widely viewed and discussed as part of the legacy of the Games in China. The same holds for TV shows as many are focusing on stories related to the Games. 

The latest episode of variety show Snow Day, which aired on Saturday on Beijing TV and Chinese streaming site Youku, explored the true story of how a young man, Zhang Jiahao, went from being a baker to a professional snowboarder. Called "the man with the Winter Games dream," Zhang stepped on an adventure that took him into the ranks of professional athletes. As one of the thousands of young people who are chasing their dreams with all their might, Zhang shared his story and plans with the guest stars on the show including Yang Di, Wang Ou and Yang Yunqing.  

The show has captured the attention of viewers on social media platforms like Sina Weibo as well as Chinese media review site Douban. 

"It is not a just a variety show, but a show full of knowledge that reveals to us the charm of Chinese traditional culture," writes one review of the show on the site, noting that past episodes have explored cultural elements at the Beijing Winter Games such as paper cutting and dough figurines. 

The art of making dough figurines captured the attention of netizens during the Games after a short video went viral in February of Prince Albert II of Monaco asking two dough figurines of Olympic mascot Bing Dwen Dwen for his twin children. Lang Jiaziyu, the owner of the booth, recalled the moment on the show and explained that he hoped to share this traditional Chinese handicraft with people from around the world. 

One of the most popular Beijing Winter Games-themed shows, Snow Day follows popular stars Xie Nan, Yang Di, Zhu Zhengting and Yang Yunqing, affectionately known as the Snow Family, as they explore behind-scene stories about centuries-old ice and snow traditions in Beijing as well as Chinese people's enthusiasm about winter sports. 

Stories about parents' supporting their children's participation in winter sports, how skier Guo Dandan became China's first world champion and The Butterfly Lovers figure skating musical have been helping close the gap between ordinary people and winter sports.