Grasslands and ski slopes attract visitors year round

Zhangjiakou in Hebei province is a place where visitors can enjoy the natural landscape and cultural festivals, said a senior official.

Mayor Hou Liang said air quality in the city ranked first among all cities north of the Yangtze River for two consecutive years.

In the summer the average temperature in Zhangjiakou is about 20 C, which makes the city a popular getaway for people from surrounding cities like Beijing and Tianjin.

Visitors often go to the grasslands in Zhangbei county, where they ride horses and appreciate fields of rape flowers and lavender, which cover an area of about 200,000 mu, 133 square kilometers.

During the summer holidays, Zhangjiakou attracts many tourists who participate in events including the Grassland Music Festival in Zhangbei, the Wetland Music Festival in Guyuan county and the Flying-kite Festival in Kangbao county.

The music festival in Zhangbei is held on the grasslands annually and has become the city's trademark.

The festival started in 2009 and has become a renowned outdoor music gala in China, which features rock music played by stars from home and abroad.

In 2013, the three-day event attracted more than 320,000 travelers, most of which were from Beijing, Tianjin and other Chinese provinces.

Zhangjiakou has also been named as a potential co-host city with Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

If Beijing wins the bid, neighboring Zhangjiakou will host Olympic events staged on snow.

Covering 37,000 sq km, Zhangjiakou is only 180 km from Beijing and 320 km from Tianjin, making it an important part of the capital's economic circle.

The construction of an intercity railway connecting Beijing and Zhangjiakou is due to be finished in 2017. When complete, it is expected to take about 40 minutes to travel between the two cities.

Convenient transportation between the capital and Zhangjiakou not only makes the neighboring city a potential co-host for the winter games, but also boosts the key advantages of snow resources and skiing facilities in the city, said Hou.

Visitors to Chongli county can enjoy the thick snow that lingers for long periods in the winter.

Hailed as "the perfect natural skiing spot in North China", Chongli owns 82 international-standard ski trails that stretch over 69 km.

Wanlong Ski Resort, one of the major resorts in the county, was appointed as the official training base for professional athletes from Japan and South Korea.

Since 2005, Chongli has held more than 10 international ski competitions.

The ski resorts will be further expanded and upgraded to meet the needs of the 2022 Winter Olympics, if Beijing is selected, said a county official.

Chongli International Skiing Festival has been held more than a dozen times since 2001 and is a major event that attracts winter visitors.

In 2013, nearly 1.6million tourists from home and abroad visited Chongli, a year-on-year increase of 26 percent.

zhangyu1@chinadaily.com.cn