史小今

Beijing is a wonderful place to go during winter when the city assumes different landscapes for visitors to admire. Winter usually lasts from November until March in Beijing， and it is cold indeed. However， the season is endowed with unique qualities， and you will have a great time， too. Here are some reasons why you should be tempted to go to Beijing in winter， and some advice on what to do.

There are many interesting activities that can only be enjoyed in winter， such as skiing， skating， and appreciating ice lanterns and snow.

Many traditional festivals are celebrated in winter， like the Laba Festival， Chinese New Year， and Lantern Festival; during the celebration periods， visitors can taste delicious festival food and experience traditional folk customs.

Travel expenses are greatly reduced in winter apart from during public holidays. There are savings to be made on such things as flights， hotels， admission fees， and charges for using facilities at scenic spots.

Scenic spots will be less crowded in winter. So， visitors will certainly have a much better experience.

Here are some suggestions on what to do when you travel to Beijing in winter.

As a typical northern city in China， Beijing is endowed with snow in winter. Sometimes， it snows to everyone’s surprise and the city presents a unique landscape. Everything is so peaceful and charming. Come out and enjoy the snow scenes; it will leave you with a deep impression. A visit to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall at this time will be a wonderful once in a life time experience.

Skiing is not only very exciting， but also good for ones’ health. Skiing is a great way to exercise， breathe fresh air， and have a lot of fun. There are many ski resorts in Beijing， including the Huaibei International Ski Resort， the Jundushan Ski， the Nanshan Ski Village， the Shijinglong Ski Resort， the Yuyang Ski Resort， the Qiaobo Ice and Snow World， the Yunfoshan Ski Resort， the Badaling Ski Resort， and the Xueshijie Ski Resort. Choose one and delight yourself in the white wonderland.

Apart from skiing， skating is also a popular and healthy sport. It can improve one’s sense of balance， coordination， and enhance flexibility. While exercising their hearts and lungs， skaters have lots of fun in sliding and gyrating on the pure ice. There are indoor and outdoor skating rinks in the city. The most popular indoor rinks are the New World Skating Rink， the Le Cool Skating Rink， and the Rink at the Olympic Sports Center. Outdoor rinks include the rink at Shichahai， the rink at the Taoranting Park， the Houhe Skating Rink， the rink at the Yuyuantan Park， the rink at the Zizhuyuan Park， the ice rink at the Old Summer Palace （Yuanmingyuan）， and the rink on the Weiming Lake in the Peking University. Skating is very popular with people of all ages on cold days. Tourists can experience the real life of local people by joining them in the exciting activity.

No matter how cold it is in Beijing， all the four （Badaling， Mutianyu， Ju-yongguan and Jinshanling） sections of the Great Wall are open to the public.

Climbing the Great Wall in Beijing winter will be more exciting and challenging， whether you are hiking on a clear sunny day or a snowy day.

The sunny winter days of Beijing is very warm and delightful， and select a section of the Great Wall， and climb to its top. What a sight！

While it’s snowing lightly， have an excursion to the Great Wall is another life-time experience.

Remember to wear warmly.

It is a unique and beneficial experience to bathe in a hot spring in the bitter winter cold. Hot springs are abundant with minerals and essential microelements. It can help to ease metabolic diseases， joint and respiratory disorders. Furthermore， they can make one’s skin smooth and delicate. There are many hot spring resorts in and around Beijing， including the Longmai Hot Spring Village in Xiaotangshan， the Nangong Hot Spring Resort， the Hot Spring Resort at the Yingda Biological Garden， and the Chunhuiyuan Hot Spring Resort.

Enjoying Ice Lanterns

Ice lanterns are a beautiful winter decoration. They fall into two types in accordance with their method of creation： freezing and ice-carving. To make ice lanterns by freezing means filling moulds with water， freezing them outdoors， taking out the ice， and lighting a candle in it. The other method is to carve different figures from a block of ice. These may be ice dragons， lions， towers， horses， or peacocks. The result is a beautiful ice lantern when lighting a candle in it or installing a lamp. After being lit， the lanterns will present different colors. That is very fascinating！ Enjoying ice lanterns is a traditional custom during Chinese New Year and the Lantern Festival. The most popular destinations to appreciate ice lamps include the Longqing Gorge in Yanqing， the Workers’ Stadium， and the Olympic Park.

Various temples fairs are held during the Chinese New Year， including the Red Mansions Fair at the Grand View Garden， the Imperial Temple Fair at the Yuanmingyuan （Old Summer Palace）， the Fair at the Ming Tombs， the Temple Fair at the Longtan Park， the Fair at the Temple of Earth， and the Fair at the Lianhuachi Park. Tourists can enjoy wonderful folk performances， such as the Oral Stunts， the Beijing Opera， and the Diabolo Performance. They can also appreciate other aspects of cultural heritages， including the paper-cut， pottery， and shadow puppetry.

When the winter comes， all of the lakes in the parks will freeze over， so there are many fun activities on the lakes， including ice skating.

There are those bikes where the back wheel is a treaded bike tire and the front of it has ice skate runners. Some people ride bumper cars with one central tire and the rest ice skates.

A big sheep pull kids around in a padded ice sledge. There are those really weird little things for kids where a little automated figure pulls the kid around in a little cart.

Some people play ring toss games， where there are various prizes out on the ice and you can try to toss a ring around them. Others munched on cotton candy.

Besides， there are also lots of park performances： Chinese opera， collective Chinese folk songs， and lots of dramatic and emotionally-riveting karaoke performances.

Also， people will just be sitting and standing in large groups， chatting， playing cards， sometimes playing “go” or Chinese chess.

The popular parks and lakes include： Qianhai Lake， Zhongshan Park， Zizhuyuan Park， Weiming Lake at Peking University， Chaoyang Park， and Summer Palace.

All the major attractions， including museums and art galleries， are still open in Beijing in winter. As a China’s vibrant and exciting capital city， Beijing is home to many world-class museums and art galleries. There are over 150 to choose from， ranging from the historical to the hi-tech.

If you are not interested in shopping at high-end shopping malls in Beijing， where everything seems to be overpriced at fixed prices， then why not dig into the plentiful free or flea markets where you can enjoy bargaining with the local vendors.

The Beijing Foreign Languages Bookstore and Beijing Xinhua Bookstore are major book sellers. The China Book Store in Liulichang binds and repairs all kinds of books and periodicals as well as selling them. Another good place for books is Haidian book street near Peking University.

After having a lot of fun， you may be cold and hungry， and wonder what to eat. The favorite has to be hot pot. You and your friends can sit around a simmering pot at a table， place your favorite ingredients into it， and then you can help yourselves. Typical hot pot dishes include the thinly sliced beef and mutton， meat balls， seafood， dumplings， wontons， noodles， mushrooms， seaweed， sweet corn， tofu skin， lettuce， and other green vegetables. The cooked food is usually eaten with a dipping sauce， like sesame paste， chili sauce， and pickled tofu. It is all so delicious， and you will soon get warm.

● It can be very cold outside， so you are advised to put on thick jackets， hats， masks， and scarves before going out.

● Wear a pair of antiskid shoes after snow because the road will be slippery.

● Wear an anti-haze mask to protect yourselves from haze when necessary.

● Remember also that it is quite dry in this season. So you should drink plenty of water， eat fresh vegetables and fruit， and apply some moisturizer to your exposed skin.

● Wear a pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes when skating and enjoying snow outside.

● Book transportation tickets well in advance during the Chinese New Year to avoid disappointment.

冬季的北京是旅游胜地，美景各不同，处处堪欣赏。

北京的冬季大约在每年11月至来年3月，冷是很冷，但别有一番韵味，一定会让你乐在其中。以下是一些值得让你冬季来北京的原因，以及游玩攻略。

很多有趣的活动只有冬天才能玩，如滑雪、滑冰以及看冰灯和赏雪。

很多传统节日都在冬季，如腊八节、春节、元宵节等。庆祝这些传统佳节期间，游客们可以品尝节日美食，体验传统民俗。

只要不是在公众假期，冬季旅游能在机票、酒店、门票、景点设施收费等方面大大节省支出。

冬天，旅游景点的人也会少很多，因此游客一定会获得更好的旅行体验。

以下是冬季到北京游玩的若干建议。

北京是中国典型的北方城市，冬天总会下雪。有时，飘落的雪花给人们带来惊喜，而銀装素裹的北京有种别致的美，一切都是那么祥和、迷人。出门赏雪吧，那美景定令你难忘。这个时候若能到紫禁城和长城一游，则是此生难得一遇的绝妙体验。

滑雪既刺激又有利于健康，是集锻炼身体、呼吸新鲜空气、开心玩乐为一体的上佳运动方式。北京有很多滑雪胜地，如：怀北国际滑雪场、军都山滑雪场、南山滑雪度假村、石京龙滑雪场、渔阳国际滑雪场、乔波冰雪世界、云佛山滑雪场、八达岭滑雪场和雪世界滑雪场。任选一家，都能让你置身于冰雪仙境之中，乐不思蜀。

除了滑雪，滑冰也是一项既流行又有益健康的运动。它有助于提高人的平衡感、协调性和灵活性。在锻炼心肺功能的同时，滑冰者们还能体验到在冰上滑行和旋转的乐趣。……