The three-month 22nd Mount Emei Ice and Snow Hot Spring Festival officially 
commenced on December 12, 2020 under the sponsorship of Sichuan Province Mount 
Emei Scenic Area Administration Committee and the organization of Emei Shan 
Tourism Co., Ltd. Compared with last year, Mount Emei is even colder this year, 
snow came earlier and in bigger volume, and phenomena like rime ice are 
particularly popular among visitors, and photos of the gorgeous and snow-capped 
landscape have gone viral on the Internet.

Mount Emei consolidated the entire mountain's tourism resources for this year's 
Mount Emei Ice and Snow Hot Spring Festival. On the mountain, visitors could 
participate in about a dozen winter sports such as snowboarding, skiing and 
snow tubing on the 300m-long Leidongping Slope, the longest alpine and forested 
ski slope in China. Going down the mountain, tourists could satisfy their 
appetites for fine foods with unique fares of the region or relax at one of the 
city's three major hot springs. Moving the whole mountain and mobilizing the 
whole industry have bolstered winter tourism at Mount Emei to a new height.

As one of Sichuan's top ten folk festivals, the Mount Emei Ice and Snow Hot 
Spring Festival has been held to great success for 21 years. In 1999, Mount 
Emei hosted the inaugural Ice and Snow Festival on the Leidongping Ski Field, a 
trailblazing endeavor for winter tourism in Sichuan scenic zones. In 2003, the 
Mount Emei Hot Spring Base was completed and the event was upgraded to Ice and 
Snow Hot Spring Festival. In 2005, the Mount Emei Gastronomy Village and Golden 
Summit Gastronomy Forest were built, integrating the festival and culinary 
culture, and a year later elements like martial art and Buddhism were gradually 
blended as well.

For the 22nd Mount Emei Ice and Snow Hot Spring Festival in 2020, the old event 
singularly focused on winter sports has grown into a grandiose winter carnival 
that will span three whole months. The scenic area has designated Entertainment 
Zone, Tourism and Arts Zone and Supplemental Function Zone, and even designed 
the "Little Monkey in Ice and Snow" Photography Competition aimed at family 
travelers.

Over the course of 21 years, the Mount Emei Ice and Snow Hot Spring Festival 
has evolved from a singular event to an innovative one with diverse offerings, 
from little-known festivities to a household name, the festival continues to 
bring surprises to domestic and foreign visitors alike. Statistics show that in 
1997, prior to the first edition of the event, Mount Emei received less than 
50,000 visits between December and March the following year, accounting for 
merely 1/12 of the year's total. The four-month period in 2019 witnessed 
850,000 visits, equating to almost a quarter of the year's total, a surge of 
approximately 16 folds compared with two decades ago.

In recent years, Mount Emei has been dedicated to positioning itself as one of 
"Major Tourist Destinations of the World," "Chinese and International Buddhist 
Cultural Tourism Destination" and a premier choice for travelers visiting 
Sichuan. Relying on its idyllic scenery, profound cultural heritage and unique 
scenic zone services, since 2019 Mount Emei has garnered numerous 
national-level tourism accolades such as 2019 China Culture and Tourism 
Integration Model Scenic Area, 2019 Outstanding Scenic Area of China and 
Regional Tourism High-quality and Popular Scenic Areas.

From traditional experience to innovative interaction, winter tourism at Mount 
Emei is gradually exhibiting its own unique model. For instance, at the 
"Digital Emei" Smart Cultural Tourism Experience Center, the millennia of 
culture and picturesque landscape of Mount Emei are presented to visitors in 
all their glories via digital means such as AR, VR, hologram and naked-eye 3D 
display. In 2019, the large-scale and immersive performance Unique Mount EMEI 
kicked off, and its time- and space-transcending program manifests every aspect 
of the exquisite beauty of its eponymous mountain and the cultural charm of 
China in a multitude of artistic demonstrations and stage craft settings.

In recent days, the "Great Emei" Cultural Tourism Development Alliance was 
officially founded, which consolidates the major scenic areas in the six cities 
and 39 counties of Sichuan Province and amasses the resources of the involved 
parties. Going forward, the Mount Emei Scenic Area will convert its Buddhism 
cultural advantage into industrial advantage and brand advantage, commit 
efforts to fostering the "pan-Emei" international tourism and culture brand, 
and continue to capitalize on Mount Emei's winter tourism selling points to 
make it a destination truly compelling to visitors and the "third pole" for 
winter tourism in China.

Source: Emei Shan Tourism Co., Ltd.

Image Attachments Links:

   Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=380650

   Caption: The Golden Summit of Mount Emei

   Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=380655

   Caption: Mount Emei Leidongping Ski Resort