Related News
Two months of winter sports and wonderland
By Nie Xin |
January 10, 2009, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Since I was born (24 years ago), I have never been so cold, but seldom have I had as much fun as I had at the Changchun Ice and Snow Festival.
Changchun, capital city of northeastern China's Jilin Province, averages minus 20 degrees Celsius in winter and every minute outdoors was freezing, though most of the time it was only minus 5.
Yet the white world of ice and snow kept me ohhing and ahhing, since I could think of no better way to begin this New Year.
On January 2, the Changchun Ice and Snow Festival and the Jingyuetan (Moon Lake) Vasaloppet International Cross-country Ski Festival kicked off. Both run through March.
Vasaloppet is a famous Swedish cross-country ski race. More than 10,000 skiers from all over the world are competing in the two-month ski festival in Jingyuetan National Forest Park, including 700 professional athletes.
Jingyuetan Park, shaped like a crescent moon, is only 18 kilometers from the city center. The park covering 186 square kilometers is famous for green mountains and crystal waters. It's known as the "sister lake" of Sun and Moon Lake in Taiwan.
Jingyuetan Tourist Ski Center is considered one of the best alpine and cross-country ski resorts in the world, with clear weather, both gentle and challenging slopes, and ideal soft small-grained snow. It is fully equipped and convenient to transport. Accommodation and dining are excellent in the resort and in Changchun.
It is the site of the China Cross-country Ski Competition and the Third National Cross-country Rolling Ski Competition.
There are tracks and slopes for beginners, intermediate-level skiers and professionals.
Beginners can take two hours of instruction from professional coaches and ski well enough to get started, maybe.
The cross-country track is recognized by the International Ski Federation and is one of the only two such tracks in the world. Spectators can watch world-class competition.
What's more exciting is the Ice and Snow Park on frozen Yitong River, featuring eight ice and snow landscapes, elaborate ice sculpture, houses, palaces and figures. There's even an ice queen playing an ice piano.
From December to February, when the ice is more than 30 centimeters thick, people can tramp about, skate, ride bicycles, go sledding, rent snowmobiles and generally cavort.
Here you can feel the cultural atmosphere of northeastern China where family and friends gather and play in a Chinese carnival in winter. People like to sit on small wooden chairs and propel themselves with ski poles, skimming about and bumping into each other. There are simple, rough-and-tumble team sports on chairs. Residents form dragons on the ice with chairs and benches.
Changchun is the birthplace of many famous ice-skaters, including Olympic champion Yang Yang.
I went to the Jilin Changchun Speed Skating Coaching Base to learn about China's ice-skating history and see where 2008 Olympic champions such as Li Jiajun and Yang trained.
I was thrilled to see Li training; he was so nice and we had our picture taken together. Li is one of China's best short-track speed skaters, a four-time Olympic medalist and multiple world champion.
The skating arena built in 2005 is one of the world's top arenas and the site of many international skating competitions. A nearby building is for figure skating. Both are open to the public in the evening and on weekends.
There's more than winter sports in Changchun -- there's indoor entertainment all year round.
Don't miss Dongbei Er Ren Zhuan (northeast two-person cross-talk), a regional folk entertainment usually performed by one man and one woman, speaking local dialect.
Even if you cannot completely understand the dialect or get all the jokes, you can appreciate the funny gestures, actions and facial expressions.
There's lively interaction between performers and audiences that will make you laugh. Performers poke fun at each other, themselves and the audiences.
In addition to the comedy show, I was amazed by the performers' other skills -- they sang, danced, mimicked and even did some acrobatics.
Last but not least, if you go to Changchun, dress warmly, wear boots. And, be careful of slick ice.
Changchun Ice and Snow Festival
Date: through March
Admission: 30 yuan per person
Alpine skiing: 40 yuan/2hr, not including entrance ticket
Through ticket: 50 yuan for adults, no time limit, including entrance; 30 yuan for students, no time limit, including entrance
Cross-country skiing: 80 yuan/2.5 hr, 100 yuan/2 hr (holiday rate)
For more information and booking tickets, check www.jingyuetan.com.
About Changchun
Changchun, more than 200 years old, is an industrial city, an auto city, forest city and movie city. Changchun Film Studio is one of China's oldest film studios.
Tourism centers on nature, especially Jingyuetan Forest and eco-tours of ice and snow. There are also historical tours of Manchu palaces, and tours of Movie Wonderland and the Changchun World Sculpture Park.
And, of course, the China Changchun Jingyuetan Ice and Snow Festival.
How to get there
There's direct flight from Shanghai to Changchun, taking about two and a half hours. Once in Changchun, take buses No. 62 or No. 160 at the Railway Station, or No. 120 at Film City, then change to No. 102 Sightseeing Bus at Sanmalu Road to the ice and snow festival site.
Where to stay
Changchun Shangri-La Hotel provides rooms to skiiers and festival participants
Address: 569 Xi'n Road, Changchun
Tel: 0431-898-1818
Changchun, capital city of northeastern China's Jilin Province, averages minus 20 degrees Celsius in winter and every minute outdoors was freezing, though most of the time it was only minus 5.
Yet the white world of ice and snow kept me ohhing and ahhing, since I could think of no better way to begin this New Year.
On January 2, the Changchun Ice and Snow Festival and the Jingyuetan (Moon Lake) Vasaloppet International Cross-country Ski Festival kicked off. Both run through March.
Vasaloppet is a famous Swedish cross-country ski race. More than 10,000 skiers from all over the world are competing in the two-month ski festival in Jingyuetan National Forest Park, including 700 professional athletes.
Jingyuetan Park, shaped like a crescent moon, is only 18 kilometers from the city center. The park covering 186 square kilometers is famous for green mountains and crystal waters. It's known as the "sister lake" of Sun and Moon Lake in Taiwan.
Jingyuetan Tourist Ski Center is considered one of the best alpine and cross-country ski resorts in the world, with clear weather, both gentle and challenging slopes, and ideal soft small-grained snow. It is fully equipped and convenient to transport. Accommodation and dining are excellent in the resort and in Changchun.
It is the site of the China Cross-country Ski Competition and the Third National Cross-country Rolling Ski Competition.
There are tracks and slopes for beginners, intermediate-level skiers and professionals.
Beginners can take two hours of instruction from professional coaches and ski well enough to get started, maybe.
The cross-country track is recognized by the International Ski Federation and is one of the only two such tracks in the world. Spectators can watch world-class competition.
What's more exciting is the Ice and Snow Park on frozen Yitong River, featuring eight ice and snow landscapes, elaborate ice sculpture, houses, palaces and figures. There's even an ice queen playing an ice piano.
From December to February, when the ice is more than 30 centimeters thick, people can tramp about, skate, ride bicycles, go sledding, rent snowmobiles and generally cavort.
Here you can feel the cultural atmosphere of northeastern China where family and friends gather and play in a Chinese carnival in winter. People like to sit on small wooden chairs and propel themselves with ski poles, skimming about and bumping into each other. There are simple, rough-and-tumble team sports on chairs. Residents form dragons on the ice with chairs and benches.
Changchun is the birthplace of many famous ice-skaters, including Olympic champion Yang Yang.
I went to the Jilin Changchun Speed Skating Coaching Base to learn about China's ice-skating history and see where 2008 Olympic champions such as Li Jiajun and Yang trained.
I was thrilled to see Li training; he was so nice and we had our picture taken together. Li is one of China's best short-track speed skaters, a four-time Olympic medalist and multiple world champion.
The skating arena built in 2005 is one of the world's top arenas and the site of many international skating competitions. A nearby building is for figure skating. Both are open to the public in the evening and on weekends.
There's more than winter sports in Changchun -- there's indoor entertainment all year round.
Don't miss Dongbei Er Ren Zhuan (northeast two-person cross-talk), a regional folk entertainment usually performed by one man and one woman, speaking local dialect.
Even if you cannot completely understand the dialect or get all the jokes, you can appreciate the funny gestures, actions and facial expressions.
There's lively interaction between performers and audiences that will make you laugh. Performers poke fun at each other, themselves and the audiences.
In addition to the comedy show, I was amazed by the performers' other skills -- they sang, danced, mimicked and even did some acrobatics.
Last but not least, if you go to Changchun, dress warmly, wear boots. And, be careful of slick ice.
Changchun Ice and Snow Festival
Date: through March
Admission: 30 yuan per person
Alpine skiing: 40 yuan/2hr, not including entrance ticket
Through ticket: 50 yuan for adults, no time limit, including entrance; 30 yuan for students, no time limit, including entrance
Cross-country skiing: 80 yuan/2.5 hr, 100 yuan/2 hr (holiday rate)
For more information and booking tickets, check www.jingyuetan.com.
About Changchun
Changchun, more than 200 years old, is an industrial city, an auto city, forest city and movie city. Changchun Film Studio is one of China's oldest film studios.
Tourism centers on nature, especially Jingyuetan Forest and eco-tours of ice and snow. There are also historical tours of Manchu palaces, and tours of Movie Wonderland and the Changchun World Sculpture Park.
And, of course, the China Changchun Jingyuetan Ice and Snow Festival.
How to get there
There's direct flight from Shanghai to Changchun, taking about two and a half hours. Once in Changchun, take buses No. 62 or No. 160 at the Railway Station, or No. 120 at Film City, then change to No. 102 Sightseeing Bus at Sanmalu Road to the ice and snow festival site.
Where to stay
Changchun Shangri-La Hotel provides rooms to skiiers and festival participants
Address: 569 Xi'n Road, Changchun
Tel: 0431-898-1818
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
