Jilin city in NE China transforms ski resort into year-round destination

At 10 a.m. on March 7, 2025, the Beidahu Ski Resort in the pilot zone featuring the high-quality development of the ice and snow economy of Jilin city in northeast China's Jilin Province was buzzing with activity. Real-time statistics showed 4,700 visitors skiing down the slopes.

"This is what we call 'spring skiing'—March is the prime time with warm weather and soft snow, creating an optimal skiing experience," said Yan Shuai, marketing director of the Beidahu Ski Resort.

①: Skiers perform during an ice and snow activity at the Songhua Lake Resort, a national-level ski resort in Jilin city, northeast China's Jilin Province. (Photo/Han Tao)

②: Wang Weiqi, a skiing enthusiast in a traditional Chinese-style red dress, poses for a photo at the Beidahu Ski Resort in Jilin city, northeast China's Jilin Province. (People's Daily Overseas Edition/Meng Haiying)

③: Skiers sip coffee after skiing at a ski resort in Jilin city, northeast China's Jilin Province. (People's Daily Overseas Edition/Meng Haiying)

④: A skier in traditional costumes enjoys the sport at a ski resort in Jilin city, northeast China's Jilin Province. (Photo/Li Yang)

The resort features 74 ski slopes, with over 300 professional athletes training there that day. During peak times, nearly 15,000 people hit the slopes daily at the resort. For the 2024-2025 snow season from November to April, the resort expects to welcome over 1 million tourist visits and generate tourism revenue of 550 million yuan ($75.88 million).

Wearing a traditional Chinese-style red dress, Wang Weiqi, a 39-year-old engineer who drove from Fushun in northeast China's Liaoning Province with more than 10 companions, explained her fashion choice: "I love Chinese cultural elements. Skiing in this beautiful traditional outfit feels incredibly trendy."

During the 2024-2025 snow season, Wang is far from alone in embracing Chinese cultural elements. Ski resorts in Jilin city are riding a wave of guochao, a fashion trend blending modern designs with traditional Chinese cultural elements. Many visitors have been captivated by skiers sporting Peking Opera facial makeup and red attire, gliding down slopes.

Visitors from across China have noticed the increasing presence of Chinese cultural elements throughout Jilin city's ski season. After hitting the slopes, tourists can sample ginseng tea and experience traditional Chinese medicine therapies like massage, gua sha, and cupping. Through these ski resorts, Jilin city showcases the unique charm of fine traditional Chinese culture.

"We've even built an ice and snow theater stage where young people are surprisingly engrossed in Peking Opera performances," Yan said. During this snow season, Jilin city has combined ice and snow activities with traditional operas, turning ski resorts into cultural showcases and enhancing visitors' winter tourism experience.

Jilin city, known as the "second hometown" of Peking Opera, brings intangible cultural heritage to life through various initiatives.

The Beidahu Ski Resort, the largest single ski area in Asia, has hosted prestigious events, including the sixth Asian Winter Games and several World Cup competitions.

Few people realize that the Beidahu Ski Resort boasts breathtaking beauty year-round, with summer unveiling a completely different yet equally stunning landscape. The ski slopes turn into paths adorned with a vibrant array of blooming flowers.

In summer, the resort becomes a dreamy cool paradise with temperatures averaging around 22 degrees Celsius, making it an enchanting and highly desirable destination.

The resort is turning itself into a year-round ski resort, said Li Du, deputy director of the management committee of Jilin city's pilot zone featuring the high-quality development of the ice and snow economy.

"In the past two years, we've carefully developed a series of tourism projects," Yan said. These include hiking trails in mountains, go-karts, camping, and RV campsites. The resort has held summer-themed cultural activities, and plans to organize events like Peking Opera amateur competitions and Jilin Opera performances.

"Since the establishment of the city's pilot zone featuring the high-quality development of the ice and snow economy in 2021, we've promoted the development of winter tourism and summer retreat, with the ice and snow economy continuing to thrive," said Yu Yueyang, chief of the pilot zone's Party working committee. Yu added that the Beidahu Ski Resort and the Songhua Lake Resort in the pilot zone are among the first batch of national-level ski resorts.

Yan said the Beidahu Ski Resort has over 50 skiing photographers, including both professionals and farmer-turned-photographers.

The rise of skiing photographers has boosted related industries such as photography equipment rental and photo printing, creating more jobs and increasing economic income for the area.

The ice and snow boom has revitalized various businesses, contributing to the development of villages around the resort while boosting locals' incomes. Yang Baoqing, a resident of nearby Nangou village, reflected on how her homestay hotel has grown from just three rooms 15 years ago to more than 50 today.

"Jilin city is located in the 'world's golden powder snow belt' with exceptional snow resources. It is home to the country's only provincial-level pilot zone featuring the high-quality development of the ice and snow economy," said Hu Bin, Party chief of the city.

"We're currently planning and building the province's first ice and snow equipment industrial park to high standards," Hu added.