Recently, the ice and snow tourism promotional video of Jilin City, China — known as the “Capital of Rime Ice” and a “Skiing Paradise” — appeared on the giant screens of New York’s Times Square. With “a world of snow, draped in silver...” Jilin City extended a Spring Festival greeting from the northern land of China to people around the globe at the “Crossroads of the World.” As the first “Chinese city calling card” to shine globally in 2019, the promotional video of Jilin City’s ice and snow tourism attracted particular attention amidst the crowds in Times Square.
With an average annual visitor flow of 60 million and over 138 million people passing through each year, New York’s Times Square is a hub teeming with people of all skin colors, nationalities, and ethnicities. In recent years, city image promotional videos from places like Guangzhou and Lijiang have successively appeared in Times Square, creating global sensations. With the approach of the 2022 Winter Olympics, China’s ice and snow tourism has been gaining increasing popularity. The appearance of Jilin City’s ice and snow tourism promotional video on the big screens of Times Square is undoubtedly a warm invitation extended to the world.
Jilin City’s Ice and Snow Tourism Promotional Video Appears on the Big Screen at New York’s Times Square
Breathtaking Rime Ice Spectacle, Professional “Skiing Paradise,” and Ideal Spring Festival Travel Destination
Tracing back through ancient and modern times, China is the first country in the world to have documented rime ice. Every deep winter, “as if a spring breeze blows overnight, turning thousands of pear trees white.” Along the ten-mile embankment of the Songhua River in Jilin City, majestic ice flowers hang heavily on tree branches, adorning the land swept by the cold wave with blossoms like a garden in full bloom.
Rime Ice Scenery
Jilin City is the second-largest city in Jilin Province and the only prefecture-level city in China that shares its name with the province. With distinct seasons, diverse landforms, a long history, a multi-ethnic population, abundant resources, and profound culture, it is an elegant and romantic tourist city in northern China and has been named one of China’s Top Ten Ice and Snow Tourism Cities.
In addition to the rime ice spectacle, ice and snow sports are Jilin City’s most advantageous tourism offerings. Located in the golden latitude belt for ice and snow, Jilin City enjoys “friendly” outdoor temperatures, allowing skiing enthusiasts from across the country to fully enjoy outdoor activities without heavy gear while still keeping out the “bitter cold.”
Thanks to its long winter snow accumulation period, Jilin City boasts large quantities of pure, natural snow. Additionally, due to climatic factors, the powder snow here remains dry. Compared to ski resorts in North China that mostly use artificial snow, the powder snow here is prized as the finest of its kind for being “dense, elastic, and not cold on the face,” earning the area the titles of “Skiing Paradise” and one of the world’s three top powder snow destinations.
Furthermore, Jilin City is home to world-renowned, top-tier Asian, and domestically best professional ski resorts — the Beidahu Ski Resort and the Vanke Songhua Lake Ski Resort — as well as more than ten urban ski resorts such as Lianhuashan, Zhuqueshan, Wujiashan, Jixue, Beishan Ice and Snow World, and Mingshan Oasis. Here, both skiing beginners and advanced players can find slopes that suit their skill levels.
Vanke Songhua Lake Ski Resort
Among them, the Vanke Songhua Lake Ski Resort features one of the longest alpine ski runs in China, stretching 4.1 kilometers in total; the N3 run at Beidahu Ski Resort leads to the summit of Jilin City’s highest peak, Nanloushan. Standing atop the 1,400-meter-high mountain peak, visitors can fully enjoy the thrill of speed.
Beidahu Ski Resort
Thanks to its professional-grade ski resort resources, Jilin City has also hosted numerous national and international snow sports competitions. Currently, the national snow sports training team is conducting intensive training here, making it a top-tier international ski resort destination that combines professional skiing with competitive training.
Embrace “Cold Snow and Ice” and “Hot Springs,” Experience Northeastern Folk New Year Celebrations
The approach of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics has ignited public enthusiasm for participating in ice and snow sports. During the upcoming Spring Festival holiday, more and more people are choosing to spend the New Year in the northeast. Jilin City has become an ideal destination for family trips, where both the elderly and children can find suitable ice and snow activities.
This year, multiple resorts in Jilin City have introduced various preferential ice and snow policies for the public. At the Beidahu Ski Resort, the N3 run has made a stunning debut, offering views of Jilin City’s highest peak, Nanloushan, and a panoramic view of the entire resort from the 1,400-meter-high mountaintop. Meanwhile, at the Vanke Songhua Lake Resort, night skiing on the A2 advanced run is now fully open, with 300,000 square meters of slopes for beginners, intermediate, and advanced skiers available for free exploration. Moreover, every Tuesday offers free night skiing for women, every Wednesday offers free skiing for children under 12, and Jilin residents can enjoy a 10% discount on tickets with their ID cards. At the same time, the 50,000-square-meter V-FUN Ice and Snow Park has been fully upgraded, featuring three zones: a snow castle park, an ice park, and a motorcycle park, allowing children to play freely without parental accompaniment.
Thanks to Jilin City’s convenient transportation, it has become a top choice for many “family trips.” High-speed trains from Beijing to Jilin take just six hours, and the ski resorts are close to both the airport and the city center, making travel easy. Accommodation ranges from high-end hotels to homestays, with a variety of styles and grades. Most importantly, the scenic spots are close together, reducing travel time and hassle.
To allow ice and snow tourism enthusiasts from around the world to experience the world-famous powder snow texture, internationally top-tier ski resort facilities, and hundreds of premium ice and snow activities, the 24th China · Jilin International Rime Ice and Snow Festival has officially commenced. It is reported that this festival also includes the 10th Jilin Ice and Snow Hot Spring Festival and fifteen themed events along with a hundred creative activities, including the “View Rime Ice, Play in Snow, Celebrate Folk Traditions in the Ice and Snow” — “Celebrate the New Year in Jilin City” series, which will continue until the end of February 2019.
In Jilin City, there is not only “cold snow and ice” but also “hot springs.” The city boasts a 1,500-square-kilometer hot spring belt, with waters rich in over 30 types of beneficial minerals and trace elements such as radon, soda, magnesium, sodium, and sulfur — making it one of China’s rare high-temperature hot springs. With water temperatures ranging between 60°C and 75°C, the 80°C temperature difference of snow hot springs offers a marvelous experience for the body.
Additionally, celebrating the New Year in Jilin City also allows you to experience northeastern folk culture, Manchu traditions, and rural heritage. The Manchu culture of Jilin City, including Shamanism, fishing and hunting traditions, food culture, wedding customs, and clothing culture, continues to this day. The Korean ethnic group offers distinctive charm through its folk songs and dances, cuisine, unique attire, and festive events. The iconic Islamic culture of the Hui people, such as mosques and the Arctic Food Street, is also particularly distinctive.
“I’ve long heard that the northeastern New Year is full of flavor. This Spring Festival, I plan to take my whole family to experience it,” said Mr. Fang. After careful consideration, he ultimately chose Jilin City. He believes it is the best destination to experience ice and snow sports and northeastern folk culture. Most importantly, the comprehensive facilities, centralized attractions, and convenient transportation give him peace of mind for the trip.