On December 23rd, the Seventeenth Urumqi Silk Road Ice and Snow Festival themed “Snow-Watching under the Sun in Urumqi” kicked off. Wang Xiaofeng, a member of the Party group of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Aiken Tuniyazi, member of the Standing Committee of CPC Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Committee and vice governor of Xinjiang People’s Government, attended the opening ceremony.
The opening ceremony took place in the International Silk Road Resort, one of five largest fields of skiing and main snow venue of the 13th National Winter Games. Moreover, it is well-know as the warmest ski slope in the world.
The theme exhibition zones of Xinjiang were also set up on the opening ceremony of the festival. Meanwhile, some colourful activities, such as folk culture performances, presentation of Akhal-teke horses and Xinjiang pop-up songs and dances and ancient fur skiing, were staged during the opening ceremony. In next four months, Urumqi has prepared 60 winter tourism activities themed “Tourism+Happy Snow+Culture+Food+Exposition” for tourists.
According to the Urumqi Culture and Tourism Bureau, it is necessary to step up great efforts to develop ice and snow tourism and sports, which will further strengthen exchanges and communication between Urumqi and its friendly cities at home and abroad, as well as introduce its rich ice and snow resources and unique ethnic conditions and customs to the people around the world.