Shunyi kicks off winter holiday fun

Beijing's Shunyi district launches six winter routes featuring parent-child experience, fruit picking, health preservation, shopping and leisure to meet the needs of various visitors.[Photo by Yang Feiyue/China Daily]

The event season is the second session in the past year and was hosted by the Shunyi tourism commission. The local government is eager to transform Shunyi into an international destination for fashion, leisure, shopping and tourism.

Six winter routes featuring parent-child experiences, fruit picking, health preservation, shopping and leisure have been launched to meet the needs of various visitors.

Families could warm their bodies and even sweat at the Lianhuashan ski resort, and then go to the Heyuan Jingyi hot spring to relax and enjoy the children's buffet and recreational zone there.

Some facilities like Shunlixin and Shuiyuntian still offer the fun of fresh fruit and vegetable picking in the chilly winter.

People can also visit Qicai (seven-color) butterfly park, where children directly interact with flying butterflies and make butterfly specimens. More butterflies have been introduced this year: Now, over 20 varieties of butterflies are available for visitors to feast their eyes on.

The park greeted more than 50,000 visitors during January and February at the last festival.

"It used to be off season for us, but things have picked up a lot after we introduced winter activities last year," says park official Hu Qun.

Horse-drawn sleds, ice bicycles and ice motorcycles have been introduced to spice up the visitor experience.

Parents and children have been the major force, and most families drive themselves to the destination, Hu adds.

The park has expanded its winter fun zone from 20,000 squaremeters to 30,000 this year.

The park offers the best of both worlds. Visitors can feel the warmth of spring and play with butterflies indoors, and go out to enjoy ice and snow recreation outside.

For parents who want to integrate fun with education, Hanfeng Genduyuan is the place to go.

It was just opened this September and offers traditional Chinese culture experience for children.

The facility features Han Dynasty heritage and teaches Chinese classics and provides farming experiences for visitors.