China topped the final medal table at the Asian Winter Games in Harbin with a record haul on Friday but its delegation's head stressed the need for improvement if the country is to be competitive at the highest level.

Games close later Friday in Harbin with hosts China dominating the medals table a year out from the Olympics and the Philippines among the tropical countries making history. Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines all won Asian Winter Games medals for the first time.

With the extinguishing of the Harbin Asian Winter Games flame on Friday, the Chinese delegation took a total of 32 gold, 27 silver and 26 bronze medals, surpassing the gold medal count and total medal count of the Changchun 2007 Asian Winter Games and setting the best performance for China at a single Asian Winter Games.

China will welcome a mix of world-class athletes and relative novices from desert and tropical nations when the Asian Winter Games open in the city of Harbin on Friday.

S. Korean athletes return home from Winter Asian Games South Korean athletes who participated in the Winter Asian Games in Harbin, China, pose for a photo at a welcome-home ceremony held at Incheon International Airport,

On the final day of the 9th Asian Winter Games, the Philippines made a historic feat by clinching its first-ever gold medal in the Winter Games courtesy of the men’s curling team. Skipper Marc Pfister,