Beijing Ice and Snow Festival at Former Imperial Garden Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace )

The theme activity "Ice and Snow Festival 2011 and the Royal Old Summer Palace" is held in the Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park for 58 days from DEC 22, 2010 to FEB 17, 2011, the first kind of ice and snow activity ever held in Beijing.

The ice and snow activities are classified into two sections - Baqi (Eight Banners) Snow Activities and Baqi (Eight Banners) Ice Activities

Baqi (Eight Banners) Snow Activities include real people plain playing CS, inflatable castles, royal hunting, children snow paradise, real people mountain playing CS, snow motors, New Zealand Zorbs, snow rings, skis, skiboards, the ice castle, ice slides etc.,

Baqi (Eight Banners) Ice Activities include ice cars, ice bikes, ice monkeys, ice bumper cars, ice shows and ice playing(bingxi) activities.

The snow activities are held first. The ice activities are held based on the ice frozenconditions.

This ice and snow fesitival held in Beijing has four highlights:

The emperors still attached great importance to the ice and snow sports activities after they moved from the cold northeast China. In addition, the emperor Qianlong set "Bingxi" (a kind of royal ice and snow activities ) as a "national folk". Today in Palace Museum there is still kept a "Bingxi Map" (ice and snow playing map) depicting the grand ice and snow playing ceremony.

So, this festival will not only be a "fun", it will be to create a taste of Beijing's most cultural winter festival. Accompanied with winter sports is a cultural festival and exhibition on the activities, including the Royal shadow, educational carnival, cartoon shows, circus, and the theme of the folk arts and crafts exhibitions and so on intangible cultural heritage.

Then the dragon and lion dances, riddles, comic opera and other Chinese New Year event will add much to festive atmosphere at the ice and snow at Yuanmingyuan. Visitors are expected to feel the festive atmosphere, appreciate traditional culture, experience a different kind of Yuanmingyuan and Beijing.