Municipal Commission of Tourism Development WINTER TOURISM IN BEIJING

Beijing Travel Feature Volume 7

Visit the Imperial City ––––– Experience Chinese New Year Traditions and Joys of Winter Wonderland 1 Winter Tourism in Beijing

Beijing’s winter comes in a silvery whisper, and brings about beautiful tranquility that carries itself with a sense of nobility. One will see a sea of festive red colors decorating the entire city upon Christmas’ and New Years’ arrival, expressing a warm and homely atmosphere; when snow makes its entrance, pure white colors cast a dignified silence upon the lands.

This volume will go into detail about Beijing’s winter tourism, mainly including the capital’s traditional New Year cultural festivities and various ice and snow activities, allowing visitors to gain a deeper, full-spectrum understanding of Beijing’s unique winter charm.

2 3 BEIJING WINTER TOURISM Highlights

Traditional Temple Fairs 9 Ditan Park Temple Fair | Changdian Temple Fair | Longtan Temple Fair | Temples Grand View Garden Temple Fair | Temple Fair | Yuanmingyuan Temple Fair | Temple Fair | Shijingshan Amusement Park Temple Fair | Baiyunguan Taoist Temple Fair

3 Fun-filled Winter Activities Activities Snowy Imperial City | Snowy Capital | Winter Sightseeing

2 Popular Things to Do in Winter Trips Ancient Town New Year Celebrations | Hot Springs

For more information, please continue below.

4 Traditional Temple Fairs

Rich Heritage Welcoming the New Year

Chinese New Year and its events have long been visited and followed by Beijing locals, a beautiful celebration that adds to the atmosphere of spring. From Ditan Park and Grand View Garden, to and Chaoyang Park, temple fairs are held all over Beijing. Travelers can get a true feel of age- old Chinese celebrations through these traditional cultural activities in the midst of bustling crowds and nostalgic merchandise.

5 Rich Heritage Welcoming the New Year

6 Ditan Park Changdian Temple Fair Temple Fair

Location: Ditan Park Location:

Tel: +86-10-64214657 Tel: +86-10-63511596

Website: http://www.dtpark.com/ Website: http://www.trtpark.com/

The Ditan Park Temple Fair attracts visitors from all over the The Changdian Temple Fair was first established under world to Beijing to appreciate the unique imperial culture. In ’s rule during the Ming Dynasty, and was one recent years, the Ditan Park Temple Fair has relied on new of the top eight temple fairs in Beijing’s history, as well as media practices to present cultural performances, letting being one of the largest, most famous fair, earning a cultural visitors experience age-old customs, and have invited a name for itself within Beijing. Its unique festive atmosphere group of well-known, time-honored restaurants to offer is demonstrated through performances with stilts, Taiping authentic Old Beijing cuisine. Drum, float parades, five tiger stick martial arts, various cultural parades, and elderly performers displaying their expertise.

Grand View Longtan Garden Temple Fair Temple Fair

Location: Longtan Lake Park Location: Grand View Garden

Tel: +86-10-67144336 Tel: +86-10-63544993

Website: http://www.bjdgy.com/

The Longtan Temple Fair has been established since 1984, The Grand View Garden Temple Fair often demonstrates and is a relatively new addition to the capital’s temple concepts centering on the imperial “Red House” culture, celebrations amongst Beijing’s other fairs. During Chinese digging deeper into these cornerstones using opera as New Year, folk performances, float parades, car shows, the main anchor, and uses live streaming to expand its book fairs, etc. are especially intricately put together and influence; in previous years, they have invited professionals presented. Its traditional parade gathers performers from like the Jing Kun Opera Association to perform, holding all over the world, demonstrating relatable festivities to performances of such types, to showcase the cultural foreigners and tourists traveling in Beijing. aspects of Beijing.

7 Chaoyang Yuanming- Park yuan Temple Fair Temple Fair

Location: Chaoyang Park Location: Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park

Tel: +86-10-65953972 Tel: +86-10-62628501

Website: http://www.sun-park.com/ Website: http://www.yuanmingyuanpark.cn/ (Chinese) http://www.yuanmingyuanpark.cn/ymyen/ (English) http://www.yuanmingyuanpark.cn/ymyja/ (Japanese) http://www.yuanmingyuanpark.cn/ymyfr/ (French) The Chaoyang Park Temple Fair demonstrates a combination of traditional Chinese New Year charm and exotic foreign The Yuanmingyuan (Old ) Temple Fair has elements, making it especially unique, attracting a large a long history, many exciting activities, including releasing number of tourists each year. Aside from the wonderful animals back into the wild, night light shows, fire shows, performances by artists from other countries, the fair has opera and theatrical performances. Thanks to the exhibition introduced new activities utilizing new technology, which of the history and culture of Yuanmingyuan and the Qing works to engage and interact with visitors further. Dynasty culture brought to light through the years, visitors can fully experience the true New Year traditions of a “royal family”, the fair becoming one of the most “imperial” experiences in Beijing. Other Temple Fairs

Shijingshan Amusement Badachu Park Temple Temple Fair Fair

Location: The of Badachu Park Location: Shijingshan Amusement Park

Tel: 86+01-88964661 Tel: 86+01-88925159/ 68862547

Website: http://www.badachu.com.cn/ Website: http://www.bjsjsyly.com/

Baiyunguan Taoist Temple Fair

Location: Beijing Fenghuangling Nature Park

Time: Starts first day of the lunar month and ends on the nineteenth day

Traffic: 114 Bus Route 8 Fun-filled Winter Activities

Passionate Winter Charming Beijing

Aside from the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations and temple fairs, Beijing also has a variety of breathtaking ice and snow scenes to offer in addition to fun-filled activities, all contributing to give tourists a taste of Beijing’s unique charm in the winter. Once this century-old Imperial City is blanketed with a layer of flawlessly white snow, one can only stand riveted with fascination at the mysterious vibe and beauty it presents.

9 Snowy Imperial City

Forbidden City As Beijing locals would say, visiting the during winter season is the best, even better when snow stops during the early afternoon -- as you can see snow covering its red walls and stone structures, highlighting its dignified presence, enhancing each detail of the royal residence, and the mystery behind Chinese history and culture, which lets tourists bask in its magnificence and atmosphere.

Address: 4 Jingshan Front Street, Dongcheng , Beijing

Summer Palace When it comes to viewing snow in the city, the Summer Palace is one place you can’t miss. As Wanshou Shan (Longevity Hill) is veiled with pure white snow, gradually becomes frosted over, and as the cool wind rushes through the Long Corridor, you can almost imagine the old times when princesses’ laughter and chatter carried through the area, their conversations covering the latest stories and happenings of the city.

Address: 19 Xinjiangongmen Road, , Beijing

Hutong

A snowy day in hutongs truly accents its Old Beijing atmosphere, the sharpening of knives can be heard, and vendors pushing their trays of candied hawthorn sticks all become a part of the scenery. The area’s hutongs are best preserved, the most famous being , with eight alleys coming parallel from the east and west, more often referred to as the “centipede street”.

Address: Start of East Gulou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing

10 Snowy Capital Among the many winter sports, skating happens to be the Skating most traditional and popular. There are many well-known skating parks and indoor rinks that are fully equipped, some even provide sleds, sleighs or electric bumper cars and boats for visitors to relax and enjoy with their families. Popular Skating Rinks: Ice Rink (Outdoors) —— Suitable for all ages Address: Qianhai Nanyan, , Beijing Summer Palace Ice Rink (Outdoors) —— The Largest Natural Rink Address: Summer Palace Western Lake, Haidian District, Beijing LeCool Skating Rink (Indoors) —— Shop and Play Address: B2/F, World Shopping Centre, 1 Outer Street, Beijing

Skiing In recent years, skiing has been recommended more and more by sports enthusiasts, and the ski resorts throughout Beijing are fully equipped to serve visitors during winter, providing dog sleds, snow saunas, glacier hiking and crossing, so that tourists can fully enjoy the speed and passion of winter.

Popular Ski Locations: Yunfoshan Ski Resort —— International Standards Address: Xiwengzhuangzhen, , Beijing Ski Resort —— Activity-packed Address: 66 Economic Development Zone, Badaling Town, , Beijing Beijing Jundushan Ski Resort —— Ski Performances Address: 588 Zhenshun Cun, Cuicun Zhen, , Beijing

Winter Festivals As winter continues, ice and snow festivals around Beijing will be opened one after another, attracting tourists from all over the world to experience its joy. Many of these festivals, carnivals and the like vary, with an abundance of exciting themes, so that visitors can experience a full range of activities.

Popular Winter Festivals: Bird’s Nest Happy Ice and Snow Carnival Address: Bird’s Nest National Stadium, 3 Anding Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing Happy Valley Beijing Snow Carnival Address: Xiaowujibei Road, Dongsihuan, Chaoyang District, Beijing Ice and Snow Festival Address: 8 Longtan Lake Park, Longtan Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

11 Winter Sightseeing

After snowstorms, there will be many scenic snow views in Beijing. Waterfalls which still retain their summer elements can freeze overnight, becoming crystal clear, stilling into spectacular icicles and falls, and with the sun reflecting its surfaces, it creates a shine so dazzling that visitors are attracted to sightsee these views, soaking in the beauty of Mother Nature.

12 Popular Iced Waterfall Sights

Black Dragon Pool Shuanglongxia Waterfall

Black Dragon Pool is a tourist spot in the suburbs of Beijing, ’s Shuanglongxia (Double Dragon and is located in a canyon northwest of Lupiguan (Deerskin Gorge) Scenic Spot is famous for the area’s starting point Pass) in Shichengzhen, Miyun District. Once winter arrives, and ending waterfall, its iced appearance is as clear as the its three waterfalls and eighteen lakes become crystal clear, purest jade, looking spectacular every which way. There amassing various ice-hang states, the icicles and columns are various iced forms, shapes and undergrowth dotted adding to the spectacular scene. along the waterfalls, adopting a unique look.

Address: Shichengzhen, Miyun District, Beijing Address: Double-Dragon Scenic Area, Zhaitang Town, Mentougou District, Beijing

Popular Iced River Sights

Baihe River Canyon Guanting Reservoir

Located west of Miyun Reservoir, Baihe River Canyon is Guanting Reservoir is located within the borders of Beijing’s one of the most important gorges within Beijing, and is also Yanqing District, and is the first large-scale reservoir in China. a classic walking route during the winter. The frozen state When frozen over during the winter, the view presented of the river is like two white dragons lying down to rest, is spectacular from east to west, and coupled with the and coupled with its mountainsides narrowing on the spot, windmills on the shore, it presents a vast natural beauty. creates a quaint air of beauty. Address: Upstream of , Address: Starting point is Yanqing District, Baihebao Yanqing District, Beijing Reservoir and flows into the Miyun Reservoir

13 Popular Winter Activities Immerse in New Traditions Festive Winter

In addition to the Chinese New Year themed temple fairs and lively ice and snow activities, the capital also has a variety of new and emerging winter entertainment for visitors to explore. Whether it is going to ancient towns to gain a deeper insight into Chinese New Year traditions or heading to suburbs to participate in fruit-picking and similar activities, and enjoying luxurious hot springs, tourists can find their own enjoyment and experience the joys of traveling in Beijing.

14 In order to experience the most traditional Chinese customs Ancient Town and enjoy Beijing’s authentic New Year celebrations, one must head to the suburban villages. Whether it’s the high- New Year hanging red lanterns, Chinese knots, couplets, riddles and other festive decorations, or stilts, folk dancing, juggling acts, lion dancing and other such activities, it will leave Celebrations visitors with a strong impression that is truly unforgettable. Recommended Ancient Towns

Gubei Water Town Concentrated celebrations

Important Events: Ice sculpture appreciation, temple fair, Peking opera performances

Fangshan District Village folk groups

Main Villages: Shuiyucun, Shuitoucun, Nanguancun, Banbidiancun, Qianhekoucun, etc.

15 As winter chills seep in, hot springs is the best therapy to relax the body and mind. A lot of hot spring resorts in Beijing offer Hot Springs different themes and healing remedies plus services, not only improving guests’ physical condition, but revives the body’s Recommended vitality and allows complete seclusion, so that the body and Locations mind can completely enter a state of relaxation.

Jiuhua Spa & Resort Classical Imperial Garden

Address: Xiaotangshan Town, Changping District, Beijing Website: http://www.bjjiuhuashanzhuang.com/

Long Mai Hot Spring Village Exotic Scenery

Address: Xiaotangshan Town, Changping District, Beijing Website: http://www.beijinglongmai.com/

Hot Spring Leisure City Five Star Hot Spring Hotel

Address: Hongfu Chuangyeyuan, Qijia Town, Changping District, Beijing Website: http://www.fdcdjc.com/

16 Next Volume

Beijing by Night

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17 Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development