CCTV News: On the morning of January 20, after the Asian Winter Games' fire collection was successfully completed, the online torch relay activity of the Asian Winter Games began simultaneously.

In the mini program for online torch relay, netizens can use the cartoon images of the Asian Winter Games mascots "Binbin" and "Ni Ni" to complete the torch relay through skating and skiing, and generate an electronic torch certificate. On February 3, the Asian Winter Games torch lighting and torch relay launch ceremony will be held in Harbin. "Fire" the fire with ice. The fire collection process is inherited and innovative.

The fire of this Asian Winter Games is collected using an ice lens. It collects sunlight to collect fire. It is a tradition in many sports events such as the Olympics. Although this Asian Winter Conference is no exception, it is unique to "burn" fire with ice. The scientific research team incorporated the local unique ice and snow culture and scientific technology into creativity, carefully polished a crystal clear ice lens, used the ice lens to gather the sun's light and collect the fire of subwinter. This creativity is not only a inheritance and promotion of the Olympic tradition and sports spirit, but also integrates ancient Chinese traditional culture and regional characteristics of Harbin.

Tong Xiaoyu, deputy director of the Operation Office of the Torch Relay Command Center of the 9th Asian Winter Conference in Harbin in 2025, introduced that there was a tradition of using ice to make fire in ancient China. There were records of using ice lenses to make fire in the Western Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago. Harbin is also known as the Ice City, and ice is the most distinctive urban resource of the city of Harbin. Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival and the World of Ice and Snow are all born because of this unique ice resource. Taking the water from Songjiang River, borrowing the light of the sun, and picking the fire of the Asian Winter, means that the athletes in the Asian Winter sports love ice and snow, unity and cooperation, and pursue excellent qualities. At the same time, it also symbolizes human beings' unremitting pursuit of life and sports, and the inheritance and development of the sports spirit.

The small-sized ice lens is not difficult to make, but in the solemn subwinter fire collection ceremony, an ice lens with a diameter of 60 cm and a weight of 37 kilograms is used. To ensure that light transmission and concentrating performance can ignite the fire quickly enough, excellent technology is required. Starting from March 2024, the teacher and student team of the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering of Harbin Engineering University, which has advanced ice making technology, will undertake the task of making this ice lens.

Du Zhaoqun, a teacher at the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, introduced that they want to obtain a piece of ice without bubbles, without impurities and are very transparent, obtaining materials is the first difficulty. The second difficulty is how to process this piece of ice into the curved surface of the lens to meet the required piece of ice. How to process, process technology, process methods, and process equipment are all difficulties.

The formation of transparent ice bodies and the processing of high-precision ice lenses are very strict in the environment and process. The production team used the independently developed cycle freezing technology to produce transparent ice-body materials. Without ice lens processing equipment that meets the size standards, the scientific research team independently developed equipment for key links such as ice making, turning and ironing according to specifications, and repeatedly tried and continuously optimized and improved the process to achieve the optimal focus effect of ice lenses.

Du Zhaoqun introduced that they hope to use their scientific research strength to support Harbin's ice and snow cultural tourism and ice and snow culture in this process. Students come from all over the world. In this process, they can closely combine their own majors with ice and snow culture and achieve direct learning and professional improvements, and they are also very happy.