As winter settles in across large parts of China, the season is being embraced as a time for outdoor fun, cultural celebration and shared experiences, with a wide range of ice-and-snow activities drawing crowds during the winter holidays.

In Hulunbuir, northeastern Inner Mongolia, nearly 10,000 people gathered on the frozen Yimin River for the Ice and Snow Naadam Festival, where camel caravans, horse racing and traditional Mongolian performances brought the winter landscape to life. Across the region, visitors can choose from sightseeing, interactive programmes and leisure activities designed to enrich winter travel.

China’s neighbouring northeastern Liaoning Province has also seen strong enthusiasm, with a public skiing challenge in Dandong attracting more than 150 skiers. Elsewhere, activities such as snow football and snow pickleball are encouraging people of all ages to get moving outdoors.

Night-skiing is adding a new dimension to winter recreation. In Taiyuan, located in north China’s Shanxi Province, illuminated slopes have helped make evening skiing a growing pastime, with attendance rising by “more than 20 percent”.

From hands-on glacier tours in southwest Sichuan’s Hailuogou to colourful lakeside winter events at northwest Xinjiang’s Sayram Lake, people across the country are finding plenty of ways to enjoy the season’s unique charm.

Source: China Central Television