Still roughly seven years to go before the 2022 Winter Olympics open in Beijing, the "Olympic Effect" has begun to emerge.

For co-bidder Zhangjiakou, the successful bid not only means holding snow events, but also a catalyst for social and economic development.

Changes have already taken place in Chongli, a county in Zhangjiakou where cross country, freestyle and other skiing events would be held. Polluting mines are being closed, a specific measure to clear smog.

And, Chongli has attracted more tourists and skiing fans since Beijing launched the joint bid with Zhangjiakou in November, 2013.

The 2022 Winter Games is expected to further bolster local tourism and the skiing industry. Zhangjiakou expects the 2022 event to generate 350 billion yuan of investment and create 200,000 jobs.

Preparations for the Winter Olympics will accelerate the economic integration of this area into Beijing and Tianjin, its two developed neighboring municipalities.

A high-speed railway under construction linking Beijing and Zhangjiakou will cut the travel time from the capital to Chongli to around 50 minutes.

In Beijing, the authorities have vowed to curb air pollution, cutting PM2.5 by 20 percent by 2017, and by 45 percent in 2022. The Olympics will push Beijing to clean its sky. In another word, more blue skies might be the most important legacy of the event.

Beijing beat Almaty by 44 votes to 40 to win the hosting rights of the 2022 Winter Olympics at the 128th IOC session on July 31.

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