More to see in Changchun as snow season in full swing

Events for every interest as Jilin province's capital lays on competitions, shows and tours

Exploring golden opportunities from silvery snow, Changchun in Northeast China's Jilin province has organized diverse events during the ongoing ice and snow season to develop its winter sports industry.

During the new season, which started in mid-November and will run till March, the provincial capital plans to integrate the sports with outstanding traditional Chinese culture, and create platforms to tell ice and snow stories and to promote the city's image, local officials said.

More than 20 activities are scheduled to take place at Jingyuetan National Forest Park and Modern Agricultural Park, with themes centering on the integrated development of sports, culture and trade. They include a light show held at the agricultural park to showcase nature and technology; an ice and snow equipment exhibition; an animation-featured carnival and the 22nd China Changchun Jingyuetan Vasaloppet International Ski Festival.

The most important part of the event, the Vasaloppet international skiing competition series kicked off on Thursday. Comprising 50-kilometer, 25-km and 2.5-km races, it has attracted about 700 professional skiers and enthusiasts from 20 countries and regions such as the United States, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Poland, Spain and Belgium.

Chinese participants mainly come from 16 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, including Jilin, Liaoning and Heilongjiang provinces, and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

The competition series uses a 25-km-long track certified by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation and has established a professional referee team, organizers said.

Vasaloppet China, an annual long-distance cross-country ski race originating in Sweden more than 100 years ago, has been held in Changchun for 21 years.

"With high-quality snow, good venues and a beautiful environment, skiers in the Jingyuetan park can not only enjoy the competition and challenge themselves but also experience the fun of traveling," said Wang Dongcheng, who has participated in three sessions of the Vasaloppet international ski festival.

Thanks to the festival, about 1 million college students in Changchun have received cross-country skiing training.

A sports teacher in the city said he helps about 3,000 college students take part in the training annually and also leads teams to participate in the Vasaloppet international ski festival and the national college cross-country skiing competition. In addition to sports events, organizers have planned cultural activities, trade fairs and industrial summits under the brand of Vasaloppet, to promote cooperation and exchanges between China and Sweden.

Moreover, Changchun launched the fourth national college cross-country skiing championship and the cross-country skiing selection for the 32nd Winter World University Games in December, and will carry out an ice and snow sports training camp for youths.

As for public entertainment programs, the provincial capital plans to organize a snowfield soccer tournament, car and dragon boat races on ice and other mass ice and snow sports activities at Jingyuetan Snow World, a large-scale snow sculpture garden built at Jingyuetan National Forest Park.

The attraction, which opened to the public in late December, covers an area of 100,000 square meters this year and has used 66,000 cubic meters of snow.

It is home to 44 sets of snow sculptures; the main one is in the shape of a dragon flying around the Changbai Mountain. It is 70 meters long, 13.6 meters wide and 13 meters high, and was shown at the opening ceremony of the 22nd China Changchun Jingyuetan Vasaloppet International Ski Festival.

Other forms of entertainment at the park include a 120-meter-long, 30-meter-wide and 8-meter-high snow slide, a 20-meter-long and 20-meter-wide snow maze, and a snow bowling field covering an area of nearly 1,100 sq m.

Also, Changchun has developed and rebuilt several internet-famous sites, like the light tunnel near the west gate of the Jingyuetan park, to meet the public's needs and expectations for the ice-snow-based consumption.

Yu Lili, deputy director of the cultural tourism and sports bureau at the Jingyue High-tech Industrial Development Zone, has recommended three tourist routes.

The first route is for a parent-child research trip that includes such tourist spots as the Jingyuetan park, the Palace Museum of the Manchurian Regime, Jilin Province Folk Arts and Crafts Museum, and Manshanli Children's Paradise.

The second is designed for "slow travel", which comprises attractions like the Jingyuetan park, Modern Agricultural Park, and two hot spring resorts.

The third enables visitors to experience the unique cultural charm of Changchun, as well as the combination of its history and modern sci-tech achievements. It includes the Palace Museum of the Manchurian Regime, Jilin Provincial Science and Technology Cultural Center and Changchun Movie Wonderland.

haonan@chinadaily.com.cn