A Joyful Rendezvous upon Pure Ice and Snow
Over the weekend we decided to drive up to Longqingxia in Yanqing County to see the ice sculptures. We had been there before, a few years ago, and we realized we hadn't been back since. It is an easy trip for us---we can go after lunch and be home in time to eat supper in our own house if we choose.
I had read online that the Ice Lantern Festival this year had an Olympic theme. Beijing along with Zhangjiakou are bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Whether or not this is wise or even reasonable is a subject for another day. Regardless, there is an increasing promotion of Olympic-things in and around Beijing, and extending out into the world. Last week, one of Myles' friends travelled to Buffalo, New York, for international youth hockey experience, and the banner they took with them even promotes this Olympic bid.
Anyway, from the moment we exited the expressway and for another thirty minutes or so until we reached the gorge, the roads were lined with all kinds of Winter Olympic bill boards and sculptures.
More after the jump
The biggest billboards, of which I did not get any pictures, bore the words or the tagline of the Chinese Winter Olympics bid, "Rendezvous upon pure ice and snow." I was grumbling about this until we reached the parking lot, and I realized that all was not lost. I would see this a few more times.
Walking up to the main part of the ice festival, we were greeted by mostly Olympic themed ice and snow sculptures.
Inside the ice festival itself (which is largely held under tents), we were not surprised to see even more about the Olympic bid as we did.
We had fun picking out the sports in the ice and snow.
Figure skating!
Hockey!
Snow boarding, which was really by my count disproportionately represented in the ice art, but then again.
CURLING!! Yes, CURLING!!! Note, too, the Bird's Nest Stadium and the Water Cube exteriors in this snow sculpture.
And a fish biathelete.
Randy wondered if there was anything like this going on in Almaty, the only other city still competing for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
And because Longqingxia has some connection to South Korea, there was a nod to the upcoming Winter Olympiad, which will be hosted by Pyeongchang.
After all the Olympic things, most of the rest of the sculptures were similar to ones we saw three years ago. I really do like the more traditional Chinese images rendered in ice.
I had read there were also to be some sort of Frozen area as well. This is what motivated Brigid most to cooperate with going, the promise of Anna and Elsa. So excited was she that she brought along her own Olaf.
It was getting dark as we started back toward our car, and the lights outside were coming on.
As we were leaving, we finally got to see this lit up, the motto of the hopeful Chinese Olympic Committee.
Even if Beijing's Olympic bid is rejected, at least we had our joyful rendezvous upon the pure ice and snow of Longqingxia.
I had read online that the Ice Lantern Festival this year had an Olympic theme. Beijing along with Zhangjiakou are bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Whether or not this is wise or even reasonable is a subject for another day. Regardless, there is an increasing promotion of Olympic-things in and around Beijing, and extending out into the world. Last week, one of Myles' friends travelled to Buffalo, New York, for international youth hockey experience, and the banner they took with them even promotes this Olympic bid.
Anyway, from the moment we exited the expressway and for another thirty minutes or so until we reached the gorge, the roads were lined with all kinds of Winter Olympic bill boards and sculptures.
More after the jump
The biggest billboards, of which I did not get any pictures, bore the words or the tagline of the Chinese Winter Olympics bid, "Rendezvous upon pure ice and snow." I was grumbling about this until we reached the parking lot, and I realized that all was not lost. I would see this a few more times.
Walking up to the main part of the ice festival, we were greeted by mostly Olympic themed ice and snow sculptures.
Inside the ice festival itself (which is largely held under tents), we were not surprised to see even more about the Olympic bid as we did.
We had fun picking out the sports in the ice and snow.
Figure skating!
Hockey!
Snow boarding, which was really by my count disproportionately represented in the ice art, but then again.
CURLING!! Yes, CURLING!!! Note, too, the Bird's Nest Stadium and the Water Cube exteriors in this snow sculpture.
And a fish biathelete.
Randy wondered if there was anything like this going on in Almaty, the only other city still competing for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
And because Longqingxia has some connection to South Korea, there was a nod to the upcoming Winter Olympiad, which will be hosted by Pyeongchang.
After all the Olympic things, most of the rest of the sculptures were similar to ones we saw three years ago. I really do like the more traditional Chinese images rendered in ice.
I had read there were also to be some sort of Frozen area as well. This is what motivated Brigid most to cooperate with going, the promise of Anna and Elsa. So excited was she that she brought along her own Olaf.
It was getting dark as we started back toward our car, and the lights outside were coming on.
As we were leaving, we finally got to see this lit up, the motto of the hopeful Chinese Olympic Committee.
Even if Beijing's Olympic bid is rejected, at least we had our joyful rendezvous upon the pure ice and snow of Longqingxia.
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