Winter Olympics elements shine at ice lantern festival

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Beijing's Yanqing District turned into a wonderland of ice and lights Friday night as the annual Longqing Gorge Ice Lantern Festival officially kicked off.

And this year, the festival is themed with the upcoming 2019 World Horticultural Exposition and 2022 Winter Olympics in the Chinese capital.

Tourists visit the Winter Olympic Games-themed area at the Longqing Gorge Ice Lantern Festival in Yanqing District of Beijing. /VCG Photo

Yanqing is one of the three competing areas of the 2022 Beijing Games.

Olympic rings, 2022 Beijing Games logo and ice and snow activities are the main sources of inspiration for decorations.

Tourists visit the ice lantern wall of Winter Olympic Games-themed area at the Longqing Gorge Ice Lantern Festival in Yanqing District of Beijing. /VCG Photo

In the next two months, visitors to the festival will be treated to a wide range of scenic feasts, including ice lanterns, ice carving and snow sculptures. If you don't get to travel farther north to the Ice and Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Longqing Gorge could be the best choice.

Tourists visit the World Horticultural Exposition-themed area at the Longqing Gorge Ice Lantern Festival in Yanqing District of Beijing. /VCG Photo

The Longqing Gorge is a 7-meter long ravine passed by the Gucheng River and is sometimes called the "Little Three Gorges" of the Yangtze River. It has been hosting the Ice Lantern Festival since 1986.

Though the themes differ each year, the one sight that is never to miss is the iced waterfall that towers 70 meters in height.

The iced waterfall in the Longqing Gorge /Xinhua Photo

This year's festival features 350 groups of colorful lanterns, 2,000 tree lanterns, 350 ice lanterns, 200 ice sculptures, 100 snow sculptures and some 10,000 decorative lanterns circling the mountains.

Tourists visit ice lanterns at the Longqing Gorge Ice Lantern Festival in Yanqing District of Beijing. /Xinhua Photo

When turned on at night, the lanterns and sculptures create a jaw-dropping scene, bringing the visitors a fantastic visual experience.

Tourists visit ice lanterns at the Longqing Gorge Ice Lantern Festival in Yanqing District of Beijing. /Xinhua Photo

Besides lanterns and sculptures, there is also folk dancing, drum performances and other activities taking place in the wonderland.

The Longqing Gorge Ice Lantern Festival runs until March 8.