BEIJING — Construction of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics venues is continuing even during China's combined National Day holiday and Mid-Autumn Festival.

One of China's most important traditional festivals, the Mid-Autumn Festival this year coincided with the country's National Day on October 1, resulting in an eight-day holiday.

However, most of the construction workers chose to remain employed during the vacation.

"We've just finished making the ice in the National Sliding Center, but there's no time for us to relax because the entire construction of the Yanqing competition area must be completed this year," said Xia Wei, vice-general manager of the Yanqing construction firm.

According to Xia, more than 6,000 workers are still pushing forward with their tasks in Yanqing during this holiday.

"Although the schedule is tight, we should not forget about safety, so we recently ran some detailed safety checks," said Song Xiaofei, deputy general manager of the National Speed Skating Oval.

The speed skating venue, known locally as the "Ice Ribbon", has seen its main structures completed, and work is now moving forward to the installation of the eco-friendly carbon dioxide cooling system.

Song also indicated that they will begin ice-making soon.

Just like the National Sliding Center and the "Ice Ribbon", more Beijing 2022 venues are at the tipping point between being under construction and being ready to host test events.

By the end of this year, 89 percent of the venues in Beijing and Yanqing are expected to be completed.