A tour of snow and ice

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Updated: 2015-12-24

Arxan: An experience of ice and fire

Although a tiny border city in Inner Monolia, Arxan has the largest cluster of hot springs in the world. Snow and ice with hot springs is the town’s biggest and most distinctive winter attraction. Moreover, the scenery in the urban areas and the snow-blanketed forests are also attractions.

Attraction 1: Arxan National Forest Park

Arxan National Forest Park is about 50 kilometers from the city’s downtown. The landscape is just as attractive in winter as summer, although summer Is the busy season. There is a river which never freezes, meandering through snow and ice, with mist curling up in the air, when the river’s upstream and downstream are already heavily ice-coated.

A river that never freezes in Arxan National Forest Park. [Photo/Xinhua]

Where is it?

Arxan National Forest Park, Arxan, Hinggan League, Inner Mongolia

Attraction 2: Arxan Ski Resort

Encircled by forests and mountains, the Arxan Ski Resort is recognized as one of the best ski fields in China. The resort has two major parts, a training ground and a ski amusement park, as well as grounds for snowmobiling and frisbees.

Children ski in Arxan Ski Resort, Inner Mongolia. [Photo/Xinhua]

Where is it?

Wuquan Street, Arxan, Hinggan League, Inner Mongolia

How to get to there?

It takes around 20 minutes to walk from Arxan’s downtown to the ski resort.

Attraction 3: Wunquan Museum of China (Hot Springs Museum)

The Hot Springs Museum has the most concentrated hot springs in Asia. There are 48 springs, with temperature ranges from 5 ℃ to 48 ℃. The hot springs museum is one of the main destinations in Arxan for tourists.

Where is it?

Wunquan Street, Arxan, Hinggan League, Inner Mongolia

Wunquan Museum of China (Hot Springs Museum) locates in Wunquan Street, Arxan, Inner Mongolia. [Photo/Xinhua]

Attraction 4: Bailang Peak

Bailang Peak is about 35 kilometers from the downtown of Arxan city and a good position to admire the rime scenery. For the large temperature difference between day and night as well as the luxuriant forest, Bailang Peak is a land of rime in the winters. Beginning at early December, the rime period may last until March of next year, and has the longest-lasting rimed period in the world. During the around four months, the rime weather may emerge in the morning or night.

Scenery of Bailang Peak in Arxan, Inner Mongolia. [Photo/Xinhua]

Where is it?

About 5 kilometers southeast away from Bailang town in the middle of Arxan, Inner Mongolia.

How to get to there?

Drive along No 203 National Highway about half-a-hour.