Out of date, nothing fun and freezing -- these are common perceptions about northeast Chinese cities among those who live in the southern coastal areas.
Those were the ideas I had before visiting Changchun, a city renowned for its winter activities and snow art. I quickly realized how wrong those impressions were.
After arriving at the airport, the promise of a pleasant trip increased just a few minutes' drive away as the sight of a beautiful rainbow arc light set in a green field was as shining and colorful as the city itself.
The name Changchun explains it all. It means "Forever Spring" and the city is pleasantly known as "The Spring City Beyond the Great Wall." While it is freezing compared with Shanghai, it was not that unbearable considering it is the capital city of Jilin, one of three northeastern Chinese provinces known for freezing weather.
After all, the cold weather is nothing for ski lovers who cannot find a slope with real snow in Shanghai.
We arrived just in time for the largest skiing event of the year -- the 2007 Vasaloppet China International Cross-Country Ski Race -- that opened on January 1.
Vasaloppet, with a history of more than 80 years in Sweden, is the largest cross-country skiing competition in the world, attracting 45,000 participants annually.
Volvo, sponsor of the voyage of the Swedish tall ship Gotheborg to China, also financially supported Vasaloppet in Changchun, fusing elements of sport and entertainment with cultural activities extending from the ski race.
While watching this exciting race in the beautiful Moon Lake National Park, an elderly man dressed in old-fashioned ski gear, with equipment made of wood, caught my eye. He turned out to be the "King of Vasaloppet," a living mascot of the competition, reminding everyone of the legend and origin of the event.
Once upon a time, Vasaloppet was at war with its neighbor. The fighting became intense and the small kingdom was in danger. The king found refuge for the kingdom by skiing alone to its allied countries.
Besides Sweden and China, Vasaloppet is also organized in America and Japan. Focusing on participation and experience, it is as much about promoting a lifestyle as it is about promoting a sport -- it's fun, it's healthy and it's environmentally friendly.
Skiing originated in northern Europe and became popular in the 19th century, mainly in Norway. The first ski race took place in 1897 and the promotion of the sport was considered the main force behind the first Winter Olympics in 1924 in Chamonix near Grenoble, France.
In China, the history of skiing in the country can be traced back to the 1950s. It has only become popular as a leisure activity in recent years in northeast China.
It has been five years since the Vasaloppet race was introduced to China and it has grown very fast, from about 700 participants in the first year to more than 12,000 this year.
"This is a great field for cross-country skiing and it also has hills for those who love slopes," said a participant named Olav who traveled to the event from Norway. "I actually like it better than the fields in Norway because it is too hot there now. There is not enough real snow."
Olav also loved the distinctive snow sculptures surrounding the ski course, including a huge statue of the Moon Lake Goddess, a sliding track with a lion figure made of snow at the front, and a group of animal statues.
The course occupied only a small portion of Moon Lake National Park which is covered by evergreen pine and cypress trees over 100 square kilometers. The park is named for the moon-shaped lake located at its center.
Just like the Vasaloppet competitors we stayed in the Shangri-La Hotel, right in the center of the city and within one hour's drive of the Moon Lake National Park. The hotel offered special Vasaloppet packages during the competition and several ski packages covering lift ticket, equipment and room costs as well as local transport during the ski season.
Besides skiing, another thing only found in northeast China is the heated kang, called huo kang in Chinese, meaning fire beds.
Before electric heaters, people in northeast China burned fire under their beds to stay warm. Now, it is hard to find heated kangs with real fire due to safety reasons. The revised ones feature heaters beneath the beds.
After a day of cross-country skiing, we ventured out of the hotel to the "Barbecue Street" and experienced the heated kang. It was rather intriguing to taste warm meat while being heated by the kang.
Our group devoted the next day to history in visiting the Puppet Manchurian Palace and the adjacent newly founded Museum of Northeast China History.
"I was surprised at how dark the whole palace is," said Somchai, a visitor from Thailand. "It seems so depressing for an emperor, even though he was the last emperor."
The gloomy ambiance filled the former palace of Henry Puyi, the last emperor of China. The palace cannot be compared to the Forbidden City in Beijing in either its size or decoration. It contains only two buildings with bedrooms and living rooms that housed Puyi and his four wives, a building for imperial feasts, a small horse racing field and a back garden.
If you are looking for luxurious antiques like those in the Forbidden City, this would be a disappointment but it was still a great tour to learn more about Puyi and his life as a puppet emperor.
Like myself, Somchai couldn't finish the tour in the adjacent Museum of Northeast China History. The three-floor museum provided in-depth illustrations documenting the horrible massacres and experiments conducted by the Japanese army in northeast China during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).
On a lighter note, Changchun is also known as the "City of Sculpture" since the Changchun International Sculpture Exhibition is held here every other year.
The World Sculpture Park in Changchun is the largest sculpture park in the world built in a city's downtown. The city invites artists from every corner of the world to display their talents and efforts in the park. The sculpture museum now has more than 300 sculptures from more than 130 countries and regions.
Sculpture is not the only art in the city; film is also a big part of the local culture.
Changchun Movie Studio was built in 1942 and is one of the oldest movie studios in the country; it was once considered a film center for the north.
Changchun Film City, which was built in 1987, contains various film scenarios, including Korean sites, fishing sites, a special-effects museum and an ancient Chinese street site among others.
In winter, Changchun, or "Forever Spring" city, is probably the best choice to experience real winter activities without being subjected to the unbearably freezing temperature.
Thanks to China Southern Airlines, which dominates the skies in northeast China, it is convenient to fly to Changchun from Shanghai with three daily flights. In addition, the airline has frequent flights to and from most major cities in China with its expedient e-ticket services.
(Shanghai Daily January 22, 2007)