A sea of snow-covered mountains encompasses a train track north-west of Beijing where the Great Wall towers proudly and, in places, lays dormant through age and ruin. As the train weaves past rock protrusions, snow, creeks and pine forest, it’s easy to be mesmerized by the scenery of Badaling’s mountains and forget your destination: Long Qing Gorge - Beijing’s answer to the Harbin Ice Festival.
After disembarking at Yanqing City station a driver takes you for a leisurely 20 minute ride to what seems to be nothing more than a series of parking lots. Leaving the warmth of the ultra-small jeep the cold is inviting, not too bitter. Flocks of Chinese tourists head towards a colored-pillar decorated with lights, similar to an amusement park entrance. The walk, perhaps 500 meters, provides time to appreciate the atmosphere and buzz of the crowd. What exactly will you experience? Will you walk on ice? Is the festival actually on top of the icy gorge? How much ice will there be? Why are there so many lights? Questions seem endless until you take a sweeping look around at the panoramic view. The sun is slowly setting and the mountains glow with the soft, relaxing texture of snow. Trees stand plentifully. A series of bright, yellow lights work their way up and down mountain sides depicting an artificial Great Wall.
You buy a RMB5 ticket and get whisked away on a fast buggy to the ice festival entrance. Riding into the gorge, mountain walls close in. You enter the festival gates and see a series of trees covered with lanterns and lights: blue, red, green, white. Is it Christmas? A small voice inside says: “I hope this isn’t a light show.” In the background water gushes. Is it the gorge? No, a small man-made water course with ice jagging up its sides straddles a pagoda. Surrounding the pagoda and stream, lights and sculptures stand still on fields of ice. Touching the sculptures it becomes clear they are foam and concrete, not ice. Where’s the ice? Be patient. It’s still stunning stuff. A festive Chinese New Year spirit reminds you the Year of the Snake has arrived. Beijing’s traditions seem so vivid and strong: Exuberant.
After 20 minutes of continuous Kodak moments an enormous, colorful dragon attracts a large crowd. More pictures. You touch the dragon. It’s not ice, again just foam. A fellow foreigner walks by and says to her companions confidently: “I’m ready to see the real sculptures now.” Relax, there is more to this expedition.
At the end of the ice field a ceaseless stream of visitors walk past a large hotel. Following them down the route, ice abounds all around. The path descends deeper into the gorge flanked by 10-foot walls of ice. It seems to be growing off the wall like a green fungus might in a rainforest. In fact it has been shaped by relentless wind hammering at water as it transforms into ice. The path opens up into a concrete yard and the first icy highlight - an igloo – comes into sight. You pull off a glove and feel the dry ice with your bare hand. The ice is clear and pure like the actual water of Long Qing Gorge. So clear and clean it could pass for glass. People fill the interior of the igloo shouting with excitement, children run and adults test the building’s strength by stomping. Nothing breaks or cracks - cannot be glass. Reassured you enjoy the feel of the ice on your hands and the insulating warmth it brings.
Ice structures the shape of building pillars pop up colored with neon- lights. A tent stretching the width of the narrow gorge blocks any visitor from seeing more. Inside the tent an abundance of life-like sculptures stand perfectly still. So intricate in detail, life-like creations of waves, fish, and Chinese temples are reminders of the festival’s location in northern China while Greek Gods Zeus and Hera stand ruthlessly and capture everybody’s attention. Visitors admire the talent it takes to chisel ice block into such versatile and fragile shapes. Where does the sculptor find the motivation and passion to chisel frozen water into an array of awe-inspiring figurines, like a metamorphosis, testament to mankind’s history?
In the distance a fortified city of ice emerges, complete with a series of buildings including a church, temple, God and Great Wall-style entrance gate. An army of people enjoy the novelty of walk up ice stairs and through the entrance gate. Children run up the steps innocently, not fearful of the damage ice can inflict. Every sculpture stands firm in the frigid temperatures beneath Long Qing Gorge’s dam wall.
Eventually you weave your way through the ice city to the end of the tent. The gigantic dam wall towers above you. Icicles plaster the wall creating yet another family portrait opportunity. The base of the wall consists of ice penguins and plum blossoms. A perfect setting and conclusion to a festival full of surprise. Finish off the night by taking escalators to the top of the dam wall and tobogganing down around the ice festival. If you want to soak the atmosphere in a little more, enjoy a bumper car ride on ice at the summit of the toboggan track- something you’ll only see in China.
If time is scarce to get to this year’s Ice Festival don’t worry. Touted a summer paradise where people can escape the concrete jungle of Beijing- and its smog- Long Qing Gorge is also home to a wide variety of activities including bungee jumping, water sports and hiking. There’s always something to do at Long Qing Gorge.
No comments:
Post a Comment