The 15th China Shenyang International Ice and Snow Festival will officially kick off in Shenyang on January 7, 2012. This edition of the festival is jointly organized by the People's Government of Shenyang Municipality and the Liaoning Provincial Tourism Administration. This information has been obtained from the organizing committee of the International Ice and Snow Festival.
The main venue of this year’s festival is set at the Shenyang Qipanshan Ice and Snow World. During the festival, a variety of themed activities will be held, including a Highland Skiing Competition Week, a Snow Carnival Competition Week, an Ice and Snow Entertainment Competition Week, an Ice and Snow Sports Competition Week, as well as a Ski Equipment Trade Fair. In addition, to allow visitors to fully enjoy the fun of ice and snow activities, the organizers have also arranged 13 large-scale recreational events such as a Snowball Rolling Contest, a Winter Swimming Show, a Family Ice and Snow Fun Sports Meet, and an Ice and Snow Challenge Obstacle Course.
Unlike previous years, during this edition of the festival, the Guandong Film City located within the Qipanshan scenic area will be transformed into a fun-filled Ice and Snow Elf Theme Park. Nearly 80 groups of ice and snow sculptures, shaped like various snow monsters, will be spread throughout the park, with the main snow sculpture “Snow Monster Valley” offering visitors a breathtaking experience. Stepping into the Ice and Snow Elf Theme Park, visitors will feel as if they have entered a world of ice and a sea of snow.
To enhance the visual appeal, the festival will invite internationally renowned ice dance performance troupes to perform in Shenyang. Additionally, highly skilled Japanese ski instructors will be hired to share their expertise with skiing enthusiasts in the city, aiming to improve the skiing skills of local participants.
Traditional events such as the Shengjing Lantern Festival and the Guandong Temple Fair will also be held as scheduled during the ice and snow festival. This year, visitors can not only admire a variety of traditional lanterns in different shapes at the lantern festival but also enjoy a large number of ice lanterns. At the Guandong Temple Fair, all performers and vendors will be dressed in folk costumes, while authentic snacks, traditional cultural performances, and various folk souvenirs will make visitors feel as though they have traveled back to old Shenyang City in the 1920s and 1930s.
In addition to the main venue at the Qipanshan Ice and Snow World, this year’s festival will also feature three sub-venues: the Northeast Asia Ski Resort, the Baiqingzhai Ski Resort, and the GuaiPo Ski Resort. During the festival, over 50 ice and snow activities will be held in rotation between the main venue and the sub-venues.
This edition of the ice and snow festival is expected to conclude in March.
