Arxan festival set to raise icy profile

China's national skiing team practice freestyle skiing at Arxan resort, a city in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Dec 21.  [Video provided by Shi Liwei and Liu Xiuhong]

With impressive facilities and stunning scenery, Arxan resort is one of China's best skiing destinations, covering a 10-kilometer area in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, near the mountainous border with Mongolia.

The resort features dedicated areas for training and entertainment, as well as providing an ideal location for visitors to relax and unwind. It is also used by China's national skiing team for training.

Arxan has an average elevation of 3,608 feet (1,000 meters) giving it a large trail vertical drop with an average drop of 500 meters. The resort has a yearly snow fall period lasting 210 days between October and April.  

With its advantageous location, Arxan is in an ideal position to develop a tourism industry based on its potential as a ski resort, high elevation and hot springs, said You Bing,  general secretary of the party branch of Sports Training faculty, Shenyang Sport University.

Indeed, the 13th China Arxan International Regimen Ice and Snow Festival opened in Arxan on Dec 21, and the event is set to run for just over five months, concluding on May 31, 2019 –– as part of the city's efforts to promote itself as a destination for winter tourism.

Sponsored by Hinggan CPC Committee and the sub-provincial administrative office of Hinggan League, the event is being hosted by Arxan CPC Committee and the government of Arxan city.