Winter Wonderland
3 min readWhen many tourists think of the northeast of China they think of cold and for good reason, Liaoning specifically has an average temperature of about 9 degrees Celsius for the year. Most cities in Liaoning have only 100-200 frost-free days, which means the mountains and hills that make up almost two thirds of the area are covered in snow and ice. These are the ideal conditions for winter sports. Not many places in China can offer the amount of winter sports locations that Liaoning can. In Beijing, skiing and snowboarding are popularbut the lack of snow means the season is rather short in comparison. For those wanting to hit the trails and carve up the powder, Liaoning is a great destination.
Ski resorts in China are new in comparison to the big ski centers around the world but skiing is a popular activity for those who want to experience nature and participate in sports. Currently there are about 6 million ski enthusiasts in China but that does not include those looking to just enjoy the slopes for the first time. The ski resorts in Liaoning have all the requisite lifts and runs but also provide many other options like snow mobile rentals, tubing and sledding parks along with snowboard-only courses. Of course you can just play in the snow and experience nature in all her winter glory.
Many of the hot springs resorts are built next to or have connections to ski runs to cater to the weekend visitor and fit together rather well. Skiing and snowboarding are very much like golf in that they are more expensive than traditional leisure activities.A lift pass, the admission fee to a ski resort which gives you access to the ski lift for getting up the mountain and all of the other facilities, can run around $30 for the day plus equipment rentals.
Secondly, and this may sound indelicate, when you ski or snowboard you will invariably spend a lot of time falling on your backside.A first-time skier is going to be longing for a hot soak in a spa at the end of the day.
Away from sports，the cold weather gives rise to many unique and cultural events and traditions that can only be found in the northeast of China.Harbin，in nearby Heilongjiang Province is home to a world famous ice sculpture event held every year.Both the Liaoning Ice and Snow Hot Spring Festival and the Qipan Mountain Ice and Snow Festival in Liaoning are giving Harbin a run for its money as they say by attracting visitors to Liaoning.The festivals feature giant ice sculptures，sports events，hot spring tours and a carnival atmosphere.
The hot springs themselves are really enjoyable in the winter.Sitting under a paviliongazing out over snow covered bluffs is amazing.The hot water seems only that much more soothing and relaxing when the outside temperature is over 50 degrees Celsius colder than the water itself.Many of the hot springs focus on this winter scenery and have designedtheir venues to mimic the surrounds.Winter sports coupled together with the hot springs strikes a great balance of enjoying all that nature has to offer while having a good time playing around.
While Japan is often seen as the first winter hot springs tourism destination by those in the West，it is by no means the first to develop the concept of taking in the waters during the winter.But，to attract both customers from nearby Japan and Korea as well as to incorporatethe best that these countries have to offer with the unique aspects of Chinese hot springsadded in，many spas offer Japanese and Korean style settings.A visitor can have the best of Asia all in one location in Liaoning.
