The 2008/2009 skiing season of northeast China's Changchun started in Changchun, Jilin Province, on Sunday, bringing international skiing events and snow-related activities to its citizens in the coming three months.

A man performs a jump during the opening ceremony of a snowboard park in Lotus Hill of Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province November 23, 2008. [Xinhua]

This year's ski season will last 100 days, including an ice and snow carnival, a national freestyle skiing competition, the freestyle skiing competition of 2008-2009 World Cup, a photography competition on snow and ice, and other exciting events.

Besides competitions, visitors and local citizens could also enjoy recreational activities, such as snowboarding and snow house cafe, according to Wang Jin, vice director of Changchun's Travel Bureau.

"Changchun has already four skiing resorts with 18 snow tracks and four cross-country tracks, covering over 400,000 square meters, and it takes no more than half an hour to drive from downtown to these skiing resorts. These advantages allow Changchun to hold international skiing events and become a famous skiing city in China," said Wang.