Travel guide: Six popular ski resorts in China

1. Yabuli Ski Resort: Harbin, Heilongjiang

Recommended reason: The biggest ski resort in China

Built in 1980, Yabuli Ski Resort is located in southeast part in Shangzhi City, about 190 kilometers from Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. It is the largest ski resort in China, and the largest integrated snow training center. Covering an area of 22.55 square kilometers, the resort consists of two parts, competitive Alpine skiing area complying with international standards and tourist skiing area.

Travel tips:

Entrance fee: Varied depending on the different ski slopes, the cheapest is 180 yuan/2 hours, with charges for snowboard, ski pole, snow shoes, and cableway included. If you have your own ski equipment, you can enjoy 30 percent off.

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 16:30; Weekends and holidays: 07:30 to 16:30

Transportation: There is no airport around Yabuli Ski Resort. Harbin and Mudanjiang are the two nearest cities with airports connecting major cities in China. Harbin Taiping International Airport is about 45 kilometer from downtown Harbin. Travelers can take shuttle bus for about 50 minutes from the airport to Harbin train station and take train to Yabuli.

There are a number of tourist trains daily to the resort from Harbin. A ride takes about three hours. After arriving at the town, mini tourist buses will transfer you to the tourist resort.

Accommodation: Windmill Village, private hotels in the nearby villages, inns in the Yanuli town

Food: Travelers can sit on a kang (a heatable bed made of brick or stone in northern China), and have a taste of the original northeast dishes like Chicken mushroom stew, Braised Pork with Vermicelli, sour cabbage, and all kinds of edible Fungi.