Invigorating trips to festivals of ice and snow this holiday season

Winter has turned parts of the country into a wonderland of excitement, where a host of snow festivals are providing locals and tourists unforgettable moments of invigorating fun. Top among the many vibrant events is the annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival that will be officially launched on Jan 5 in Heilongjiang province - when temperatures can plummet to -38C - with numerous heart-warming experiences available to visitors.

Stunning ice sculptures light up Harbin Ice and Snow World, a highlight of the festival. Of the 45 works in ice and snow depicting iconic buildings, landscapes and figures along a 1,400-meter-long stretch, one recreates Marilyn Monroe's well-known pose in The Seven Year Itch: standing on a subway grate while her white dress is blown above her knees.

If you are looking for a tour replete with unique ethnic flavors, the "Nadam" Winter Fair underway in Ewenki Autonomous Banner of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region will fit the bill. Dance and sing with locals dressed in Ewenki attire or join them in the scores of traditional winter sports such as horse and camel racing across snowfields.

Though snow hasn't come as heavily as people anticipated in Beijing, winter sports enthusiasts can still enjoy themselves at the ongoing "Happy Snow and Ice Season" gala thanks to the wonders of artificial snowmaking.

The National Stadium, home to the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympic Games 2008, has been remade into a fairyland of white. Snow sculptures, mini ski slopes and skating rinks in the arena give visitors a different experience of the Bird's Nest. A 20-meter-high snow-covered mountain serves as the backdrop for a stage welcoming interactive shows twice a day and rock concerts during Spring Festival.

But the excitement is not the monopoly of Northern China. Window of the World, a famous tourist site in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, has opened its own ice and snow carnival, a month-long fete that fascinates people in Southern China with a 2,400-square-meter skating rink and a 4,000-square-meter "ski resort". Its non-stop celebrations also include a grand parade of popular cartoon characters and New Year party.

1. Tourists have a good time as lights for the 13th Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, are tested on Dec 26. The festival will officially open on Jan 5. Liu Yang / for China Daily 2. An extreme sports enthusiast get airborne on Dec 3 at Lianhuashan Ski Resort in Changchun, capital of Northeast China's Jilin province. Fang Xinwu / for China Daily 3. Ninety-nine snowmen with the same hats and scarves greet tourists at the gate to Taiyangdao Island Park in Harbin on Dec 20. Liu Yang / for China Daily 4. Horse racing is one of the many traditional sports at the ongoing "Nadam" Winter Fair celebrated by the Ewenki ethnic group in Ewenki Autonomous Banner, Inner Mongolia. Yu Changjun / for China Daily 5. A woman and two girls show their excitement on Dec 17 at the newly opened Jurassic Ski Park in Karamay, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Zhou Jianling / for China Daily 6. Residents in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, can also have fun with snow at the 4,000-square-meter indoor skiing park inside the city's famed Window of the World complex. Wu Jun / for China Daily 7. A swimmer jumps into the icy water of the Songhua River in Harbin on Dec 26. Sheng Li / Reuters 8. Children enjoy themselves with a real-life counterstrike game on Dec 17 at the Longtan International Ice and Snow Cultural Carnival. The event at Beijing's Longtan Park lasts until Feb 12. Zou Weilin / for China Daily 9. Part of an ice and snow carnival, skiing at the National Stadium, or Bird's Nest, is among the attractions for winter sports lovers in Beijing. Zhu Xingxin / China Daily

(China Daily 01/01/2012 page6)