Longqingxia Ice Lanterns

Longqingxia Ice Lanterns

The Longqingxia Ice Lanterns in Yanqing have been very famous over the years. Although the themes of past ice lantern festivals have varied, the spectacular sight of the ice waterfall cascading down from the Shunhe Reservoir dam has been retained every year. A massive ice waterfall hangs from the 70-meter-high dam, adorned with ice flowers and icicles, creating a dazzling, crystal-clear ice and snow wonderland. The beautiful Longqingxia Ice Lantern Art Festival brings joy to visitors. Longqingxia always hosts its annual Ice Lantern Art Festival, and the ice lanterns here have developed their own unique style. Each year’s ice lanterns feature different themes, with various groups of ice and colored lanterns showcasing not only the rich wisdom and creativity of the people but also providing aesthetic pleasure to visitors. Coupled with ingenious designs of sound, light, and electricity, the ice lantern art of Longqingxia becomes even more enchanting.

The Longqingxia Ice Lantern project has been running for 24 years, and its exquisite craftsmanship has earned widespread recognition from both domestic and international tourists. This year, the 25th Ice Lantern Art Festival will open on January 16, 2011. The exhibition area covers a viewing space of 200,000 square meters and is divided into four major zones: the Colored Lantern Area, Snow Sculpture Area, Ice Exhibition Area, and the “Longqingxia Cup” International Ice and Snow Sculpture Competition Zone. It includes over 350 ice lantern works, over 100 snow sculpture works, and over 1,000 colored lantern works. This year’s Longqingxia Ice Lantern Festival has added many new highlights compared to previous years. Through the crystal-clear ice lanterns, colorful lanterns, and snow sculptures as white as jade, it showcases the prosperity of the nation, the happiness of the people, and the harmony and stability of society, reflecting the theme of “Ice and Snow Longqingxia.”

There are ice lanterns every year, but this year is truly different.

All the millions of colored lights in this year’s ice lanterns are LED energy-saving bulbs. Compared to the incandescent and fluorescent lights used before, LED lights can save up to half on daily electricity costs. Moreover, LED lights contain no mercury pollution, pose no threat to soil and water sources, and are recyclable. LED bulbs are small in size, capable of producing high-brightness point light sources. The finer the light sources, the richer and more varied the shapes can be, and the light effect is soft and natural. Additionally, LED lights are cool light sources with minimal heat emission, reducing the chance of melting holes in the ice sculptures.

The ice lantern festival also features many colorful ice sculptures, including mythical creatures like qilin, classical pavilions and towers, and traditional figures, all either emerald green or bright orange-yellow, with textures resembling jade and agate. It is said that all the color in the ice is derived from edible pigments. Children looking at the ice lanterns can’t help but touch and sniff them — rest assured, these 100% safe colored ice sculptures allow kids to interact freely and without worry.

The Longqingxia Ice Lantern Festival will run until the end of February. After the festival, all the ice and snow sculptures will melt into water and flow into the Gucheng Reservoir, adding more brilliance to this picturesque landscape.

Opening Hours

8:00 – 22:00.

Location

Gucheng Village, Jiuxian Town, Yanqing County, Beijing