The Cloud Top Heavenly Palace, a majestic palace complex built with snow in the Changbai Mountains scenic area in Jilin Province, was officially illuminated and opened to the public on December 26, 2025. This impressive installation, with a main building measuring 20 meters high and 60 meters wide, faithfully recreates a classic scene from the best-selling Grave Robbers' Chronicles web novel series by Xu Lei, better known by his pseudonym Nanpai Sanshu. As dynamic lighting illuminates the sculptured palace, renowned moments from the narrative are brought to life, captivating visitors who eagerly document this realization of fantasy with their cameras.

Since its initial debut in 2023, the Cloud Top Heavenly Palace has undergone continuous refinement. This winter, the Changbai Mountains Tourism Co. Ltd. has developed it into a complex structure featuring multiple interconnected buildings. This evolution now enables tourists to engage with the sculpture at close range for immersive photo opportunities.

The snow sculpture was illuminated during the opening of the seventh Changbai Mountains Powder Snow Festival. This winter event, launched at the base of the sacred mountain range, signaled the beginning of the 2025-26 snow season for the Changbai Mountains.

The Changbai Mountains are situated within the world's prime latitude for snow and ice, placing the mountain range among the top three ski destinations internationally renowned for their powder snow, alongside the Alps in Europe and the Rocky Mountains in North America. This snow is distinguished by its light and soft consistency, providing a safer and more accessible environment for skiers, including those new to the sport.

Immersive experiences 

The 2025-26 Powder Snow Festival signals a big evolution for Jilin and northeast China's ice and snow economy. The Changbai Mountains scenic area is weaving together natural beauty, rich history and modern amenities to fuel robust growth in its winter tourism sector.

The visitor experience has become richer and more diverse. At the area's Heping Ski Resort, skiers can now not only carve through powder while gazing at the majestic mountain vistas but also seek thrills through activities like all-terrain vehicle riding and snowmobiling. For a unique form of rejuvenation, the Julong Volcanic Hot Spring offers the captivating experience by juxtaposing "fire and ice."

"This is my second visit after many years, and this time I felt a clear change—visitors are not just passing through the scenic area but staying; and no longer just sightseeing but actively experiencing," remarked a tourist surnamed Zhang from Guangdong Province to newspaper People's Daily. The Changbai Mountains are rapidly transforming from a mere destination into a comprehensive ice and snow resort ripe for deep exploration.

Adding further depth this year, the ice and snow experience in the Changbai Mountains scenic area is now infused with a richer cultural flavor. The Enduli Leisure Resort Commercial Community has emerged as the central engine for the Changbai Mountains' burgeoning nighttime economy. This immersive cultural tourism hub integrates accommodation, diverse dining, engaging performances and creative retail. It boasts over 50 specialty shops, 16 unique restaurants offering everything from hearty northeastern iron pot stew to Korean barbecue and nearly 500 comfortable guesthouse rooms. Visitors can also bring home cultural keepsakes like Manchu paper-cuts and embroidered cushions.

Wang Chunyuan, General Manager of the Enduli Leisure Resort Commercial Community, told news portal China Tourism News about the deep integration of lively Manchu cultural experiences within the park. "The park allows tourists to experience the unique traditional Manchu culture firsthand," Wang stated.

Furthermore, the scenic area has launched a performance, the Changbai Mountains-Jin 1172. This show vividly recreates life in northeast China around 1,000 years ago, featuring imperial conferment ceremonies, blessings and sacrificial rites in the Changbai Mountains—paying homage to the Jurchen founders of the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234).

Tian Wei, Deputy Director of the Changbai Mountains Protection and Development Management Committee, told Beijing Review that integrating local customs with the ice and snow scenery amplifies the region's appeal. He also added that this strategic shift from singular sightseeing to immersive participation is vital. It's both an essential response to the tourist desire for participation and immersion as well as the main pathway for extending the ice and snow industry chain to cultivate new areas of economic growth.

Improved infrastructure and services 

Robust infrastructure and coordinated regional development are the cornerstones of high-quality ice and snow tourism, and in this new season, the Changbai Mountains have seen substantial advancements in both service quality and regional synergy.

The transportation network has been continuously improved. The Changbai Mountains Airport has introduced new routes and increased flight frequency to boost accessibility. The Shenyang-Baishan High-Speed Railway (Shenbai HSR) commenced operations in September 2025. This vital line traverses northeast Liaoning Province and southeast Jilin, connecting major hubs including Shenyang and Fushun in Liaoning with Tonghua and Baishan in Jilin, terminating at Changbaishan Station.

Visitor services within the Changbai Mountains have also been substantially upgraded. Tourists can now enjoy enhanced comfort and safety, including free hot water, complimentary beverages, strategically placed "Warm Houses" for shelter and a heightened police presence that guarantees a one-minute response in key areas.

A major step toward integrated growth was the establishment of the Tourism Alliance of Cities Along the Shenbai HSR on December 25, 2025. This framework presents new opportunities for the high-quality, integrated development of culture and tourism across the six participating locations: Shenyang, Fushun, Tonghua, Baishan, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture and the Changbai Mountains Protection and Development Zone.

Alliance members will collaborate to link core attractions—including the Changbai Mountains, Shenyang Imperial Palace and Yanbian's Korean Folk Village—to specialized itineraries. They will jointly host large-scale cultural and tourism events, leveraging social media platforms to pioneer a new model for promoting cultural tourism products together.

This cross-regional integration successfully incorporates the Changbai Mountains into northeast China's booming ice and snow economy, creating mutual benefits for all involved.

Policy support 

Fueled by the momentum the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics created, China has witnessed a surging enthusiasm for winter sports. Data from the China Ice and Snow Industry Development Research Report (2025), released at the World Winter Sports Expo 2025 and China Winter Tourism and Culture Industry Development Conference in Beijing in October 2025, reveal explosive growth: The national ice and snow industry expanded from 270 billion yuan ($39 billion) in 2015 to 980 billion yuan ($140 billion) by 2024.

The Central Government has positioned the ice and snow economy as a pivotal engine for future development and consumption. In November 2024, the General Office of the State Council, the highest state administrative organ, issued directives aimed at stimulating the sector through high-quality development of ice and snow sports. These directives set phased targets of 1.2 trillion yuan ($172 billion) for the total scale of the ice and snow economy by 2027 and 1.5 trillion yuan ($215 billion) by 2030.

Tian said, "National-level policies have provided clear guidance and strong guarantees for the development of the ice and snow economy." However, he stressed that success hinges on precise regional implementation. Jilin exemplifies this dedication, having issued its own specialized policy documents. Jilin is actively exploring the establishment of dedicated Ice and Snow Holidays and ensuring student participation in winter activities, thereby deepening the popularization of ice and snow culture and consumption.

During the province's inaugural Ice and Snow Holiday for students up to Grade 9, running from December 3 to 7, 2025, Jilin saw a 119-percent year-on-year surge in domestic tourist arrivals, with total tourist spending increasing by 31 percent. Approximately 220,000 students participated in ice and snow sports.

Tian concluded that the public's strong appetite for winter activities is compelling cultural tourism and snow enterprises to continuously innovate, cultivating unique formats to attract visitors. This dynamic proves that "cold resources" are continuously releasing a "hot effect," cementing the development concept that "ice and snow are as valuable as gold and silver" and injecting powerful momentum into the nation's high-quality economic growth. BR

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

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