How "cold resources" become "hot economy"

Rime landscape in Benxi Water Cave, Liaoning Province. Photo courtesy of the Propaganda Department of the Benxi Municipal Party Committee

Tourists visit the Swan Ice Falls in Changbai, Baishan Mountain, Jilin. Photo provided by Baishan Municipal Bureau of Culture, Broadcasting and Tourism

Galloping in Jilin Changbai Mountain International Resort. Photo courtesy of Baishan Municipal Bureau of Culture, Broadcasting and Tourism

Ski enthusiasts show off their skills at a ski resort in Benxi, Liaoning. Photo courtesy of the Propaganda Department of the Benxi Municipal Party Committee

Winter fishing scene at Lianhuan Lake in Daqing, Heilongjiang. Photo by Xie Peng

Tourists at the Ice and Snow World in Harbin, Heilongjiang. Photo by Zhang Shu

If you have been to Northeast China in other seasons, then winter here is worth your while.

In the twelfth lunar month of winter, when the southern land is still covered with coconut trees and flowers blooming, the three northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning have completely changed. The silver-covered city streets and mountains and villages are like a fairy tale wonderland, attracting not only tourists from afar, but also locals who are immersed in it and are overjoyed.

"The world of ice and snow is also a mountain of gold and silver." The three northeastern provinces have cold and long winters with heavy snowfall and long snow accumulation period. The gifts of nature are very precious, but how to make full use of these abundant resources, develop the ice and snow economy, create an ice and snow culture, and turn "cold resources" into a "hot economy"?

Culture "lives" and ice and snow "heat"

Tourism without cultural connotation cannot deeply move people's hearts. If ice sculptures, snow sculptures and ice lanterns are not infused with invisible cultural power, most of them can only be viewed simply for viewing.

Using ice and snow as the medium and culture as the soul, this is the answer to Northeast winter tourism exploration. In the Liaohe River Basin, one of the important birthplaces of Chinese civilization, folk symbols are contained in folk arts, folk skills, traditional festivals, temple fairs and other folk skills and activities, forming a colorful and rich folk custom integration with the land of Liaoning. Nearly 25,000 cultural relics and more than 1.6 million movable cultural relics complement each other and have become profound cultural nourishment and spiritual support for the development of cultural tourism, especially ice and snow tourism with regional characteristics in Liaoning.

Focusing on the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage, Liaoning ice and snow tourism adheres to culture as the root, fully taps the cultural resources of ice and snow tourism destinations, develops ice and snow cultural tourism, continues to integrate the history and culture of "ice play", and develops activities unique to Liaoning region Unique ice and snow sports and ice and snow activities; integrating culture and art, holding "Ice Ballet", "Manchu Paper-cutting", "Manchu Ice and Snow Culture Festival", "Snow Yangko", "Shadow Puppet Show", "Snow Light Show", "Traditional Crafts Exhibition", etc. Cultural activities; integrated into the New Year culture, "Celebrate the New Year in a Manchu farm", "Celebrate the New Year in a B&B", "Celebrate the New Year by picking cherries", and "Celebrate the New Year by tasting seafood" fully demonstrate the temperature and warmth of winter tourism in Liaoning and warmth; integrated into people's lives, various places use lantern fairs (temple fairs), folk custom fairs and other activities as carriers to launch various activities such as culture, commerce, folk festivals, health care, catering, etc., making ice and snow tourism a fashionable way of life .

Ice and snow sports provide health and wellness, thousands of miles of ice cannot stop the vitality

The land of ice and snow not only allows Northeastern people to develop a strong body, but also cultivates a strong willpower. All parts of the Northeast regard ice and snow culture as valuable cultural resources and spiritual wealth, and through ice and snow sports, they cultivate young people's outstanding qualities of diligence, bravery, self-improvement, perseverance, and pioneering spirit.

Jilin City, Jilin Province, taking the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics as an opportunity, has fully launched the "Building Dreams of Ice and Snow, Meet at the Winter Olympics" project to popularize ice and snow sports for primary and secondary school students in Jilin City, actively guiding students to participate in ice and snow sports Come, let every child in Jilin City master at least one ice and snow sports skill. Jilin City designates the first week of winter vacation every year as "snow vacation". Primary and secondary schools at all levels in the city use the "snow vacation" time to hold ice rinks on campus in the city, ski resorts around Zhuji, Jilin City Ice Sports Center, and Jilin City. Beishan Four Seasons Cross-Country Ski Hall organizes and carries out a variety of ice and snow winter camps and ice and snow study activities, allowing students to appreciate the charm of winter sports in the ice and snow, and stimulating students' interest in learning ice and snow sports.

In the Lianhuan Lake Hot Spring Scenic Area in Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, it is surrounded by white snow. The hot springs are steaming, the spring water meets the ice and snow, and the mist is thick. Sun Weifang, who came to Daqing from Ningbo on a business trip, experienced the wonder and fun of snow hot springs for the first time. "It's really a different experience to soak in the hot spring water at more than 40 degrees Celsius and watch the snowflakes flying in the sky." Sun Weifang said that next time she would invite friends from the south to Heilongjiang to experience the "two heavens of ice and fire".

After nine cold days and thousands of miles of ice, people come to the Northeast Ice and Snow Hot Springs for travel and vacation. People no longer feel that everything is withering in their hearts, but feel the vitality bred under the ice and snow during exercise. At the 24th Changchun Ice and Snow Festival held recently, Adong, Vice Governor of Jilin Province, said that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Jilin will continue to promote high-quality tourism recovery, build a strong four-season tourism province and a world-class ice and snow tourism destination, and create The new driving force of the ice and snow industry will accelerate the formation of internationally competitive ice and snow tourism products.

Extend the industrial chain and strive to expand the ice and snow industry

In recent years, Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province has continued to accelerate the development of the ice and snow tourism industry, integrating the two major winter tourism elements of hot springs and ice and snow with various activities, The competitions are jointly organized to create winter ice and snow festivals, explore ice and snow tourism culture, and fully unleash the huge potential of "white snow for silver". The "frozen" ice and snow are gradually turning into mountains of gold and silver, injecting new vitality into urban transformation.

The ice sculptures are crystal clear and the snow sculptures have distinct layers. On a clear night, the warm light shines from the ice lanterns, giving people unlimited reverie. The ice and snow not only bring beautiful experiences to tourists, but also bring tangible benefits to the people. Walking into Mudanjiang's "First Snow Village" B&B, you will find several "snow mushrooms" dotted in the small fenced yard. Liu Mingwen and Liu Qinglin, father and son, are busy greeting customers, and business is booming. In recent years, as the popularity of Xuexiang has increased, the family has made a good living by opening a hotel. "Our two generations of forestry workers are not only witnesses of the cessation of logging and transformation in Heilongjiang forest areas, but also practitioners of 'ice and snow are also mountains of gold and silver'."

Liaoning ice and snow tourism is guided by ice and snow culture, focusing on Break through ice and snow leisure and vacation, effectively integrate the ice and snow industry with corresponding downstream industries, gradually expand and strengthen the ice and snow industry chain, and radiate to tourism, hot springs, catering, accommodation, health care, culture and other industries, so as to achieve "food, accommodation, travel and shopping" The integration of "entertainment" and the introduction of a variety of ice and snow tourism products further enhance the appeal of ice and snow tourism.