Ice, ice baby! The Longqingxia Ice And Snow Festival is where every winter lover should be
With the theme of 'Keep up with Olympics and Keep up with China', the festival is using coloured lanterns, laser lights and ice lanterns to present the Winter Games spirit and ice and snow culture to tourists

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At this festival, everything is ice and snow... Welcome to the Longqingxia Ice and Snow Festival, held in the Yanqing district of Beijing. AP

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The Longqingxia Ice and Snow Festival is held during the Lantern Festival, the final day of the annual celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year. The festival is usually celebrated from mid-January to the end of February. AP

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Having the theme of 'Keep up with Olympics and Keep up with China', the festival this year is using coloured lanterns, laser lights and ice lanterns to present the Winter Olympic spirit and ice and snow culture to tourists. AP

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The Longqingxia Ice and Snow Festival, different from the Harbin ice festival, has been celebrated for over 3,500 years as the final day of Chinese New Year celebrations. AP

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The festival is open from 9 am to 10 pm every day. Going during daylight hours is best for the snow and ice activities. However, the ice lanterns and sculptures look more brilliant under the colorful lights at night, so the best time to be at the festival is from 5 pm to 10 pm. AP

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Besides the ice sculptures that can be admired here, there are fireworks ceremonies, folk dancing, and pageants. In addition, there are other nearby ice sports activities separate from the sculptural exhibits, such as skiing, ice fishing and ice slides. AP

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A resident poses with an ice sculpture next to an illuminated Beijing Winter Olympics torch at the Longqingxia Ice and Snow Festival. AP