Ice and snow carnival begins in Yuhong district

The first Dingxiang (lilac) Lake ice and snow carnival opened on Dec 21, 2018, at the Dingxiang Lake Park in Yuhong district of Shenyang, Northeast China’s Liaoning province.

Jointly hosted by the government of Yuhong district and Shenyang Olympjoy Ice and Snow Tourism Investment Company, the carnival covers an area of 70,000 square meters with investment of 25 million yuan ($3.64 million).

It opens to the public from 9:00 to 22:00 daily, and will last until Feb 28, 2019, with a total of 300,000 visitors expected.

Featuring facilities such as a European-style town, a wooden house market, and skating rinks, the carnival will include 16 activities in five categories spanning more than two months:

1. Ice and snow events in schools

The government of Yuhong district will organize lectures on ice and snow sports in 20 primary and middle schools in the city, and provide instruction in these sports to around 30,000 students. Training classes will be offered from Dec 16, 2018 to Jan 15, 2019.

2. New Year celebrations

Celebrations for Christmas and the New Year will be held during the period from Dec 24, 2018 to Jan 1, 2019, including a Christmas Eve party and a night running event to welcome the New Year.

3. Activities with Austrian flavor

Several events featuring Austrian culture will be held between Dec 18, 2018 and Jan 1, 2019, including an Austrian food festival, recommendations of tourist routes to Austria, and photograph exhibitions about the cultures of Shenyang and Austria.

4. Flower markets

Flower markets will open to the public from Jan 28 to Feb 2, 2019, allowing people to purchase flowers for the holidays.

5. Activities marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and China’s four decades of reform and opening-up

Running Feb 5-19, photograph exhibitions themed around the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, China’s four decades of reform and opening-up, and the history of Shenyang and Yuhong district will be held, to showcase the country's achievements and improvements in the city over the decades.

In addition to the ice and snow carnival in Dingxiang Lake Park, a hot spring festival, and a fruit and vegetable picking festival will also be held in Yuhong district until the end of March 2019.