As the golden hues of dusk washed across the sky, Xu Xin wrapped up her day of skiing at the Changbai Mountain Wanda International Resort in Jilin Province, northeast China, and headed for a bath in an outdoor hot spring.

"The combination of chilly weather and a hot spring is a unique experience. I immersed my whole body in the steamy water while watching snowflakes fall against a pristine white landscape. Eventually, my fatigue dissolved," said Xu, who hails from Shandong Province, east China.

Visitors enjoy a hot spring surrounded by ice and snow at a hot spring resort in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Jan. 17, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Recently, this fusion of "hot and cold" has been gaining popularity on the itineraries of winter tourists flocking to China's northeastern provinces, namely Jilin, Liaoning and Heilongjiang.

Cultural tourism feast

At the mountainous village of Naitoushan in Jilin's Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, visitors often unwind in hot springs after hiking through snow-draped trails, admiring ice sculptures or marveling at rime-covered branches, even as temperatures plunge below minus 20 degrees Celsius during winter.

"Most of our visitors are from southern China. While international travelers primarily come from Malaysia, Singapore and the United States," said Yang Lina, an operator of the village's cultural tourism project. She noted that about 31,000 visitors arrived during the eight-day Spring Festival holiday this year.

Dubbed China's "ice city," Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province, recently hosted the 2025 Asian Winter Games, spotlighting its appeal to global winter sports enthusiasts. The city is also home to Harbin Ice-Snow World, the world's largest theme park of its kind, renowned for its grand ice sculptures, slides and entertainment facilities.

"As Harbin has gone viral on social media and attracted tourists, there are also visitor flow spillovers in our hot springs," said Li Fang, assistant general manager of the Lianhuan Lake International Hot Spring Resort of Heilongjiang, located some 200 km from downtown Harbin.

This winter, the resort introduced a novel service: guests can soak in outdoor hot springs while dining on meat and vegetables boiled in sizzling hotpots, with tables and stools set in the pools.

"Our guests can enjoy the warmness of the water and food. It is particularly comfortable after outdoor activities," said Li.

To enhance tourists' experience, the resort also organized a series of cultural tourism activities including dragon boat sleighing in the snow, snowball fights and horse riding.

While some international visitors also praised the integration of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapies with hot spring experiences.

"This is my first trip to China. We soaked in the hot springs and indulged in the mud baths. The experience is amazing and I feel the soreness in my shoulders and knees alleviated," said En Sun, a Russian visitor, who stayed with her family at the Tanggangzi Hot Spring Resort in the city of Anshan in Liaoning for two weeks.

Yang Xiaopeng, the resort's deputy manager, highlighted the therapeutic benefits of mineral-rich mud baths, which contain elements including iron and manganese that boost metabolism and immunity. The resort also produces soaps and facial masks with minerals extracted from its springs.

"Through enhancing services and innovating products, we hope to provide our guests with hospitality and an unforgettable travel experience," said Yang.

Wang Xiaoyu, a specially invited expert of the World Tourism Cities Federation, said northeastern China should have confidence in its combination of ice-and-snow activities with hot springs, as the region has received increasing visitors. "Tourists can not only enjoy snow and play with ice, but also experience local culture deeply," he added.

Spurring economic vitality 

Zhao Kaizeng, 75, spent this winter at Liaoning's Baodi Hot Springs Town in the city of Fuxin, indulging in hot springs and regular physiotherapy sessions at the town's health center. "The hot spring water here is beneficial to the human body, and the medical facilities are great too," he said.

The town also provides free recreational activities for seniors, including calligraphy classes, reading and movie screenings. It saw over 100,000 tourist visits last year.

"Along with the changing consumption appetite and lifestyle, more and more seniors seek to make new friends and experience customs of different places through tourism activities. Liaoning has the advantage of quality and abundant hot spring resorts to cater to these active 'silver-age' tourists," said Chen Yankui, secretary general of the Liaoning Ice and Snow Hot Spring Tourism Association.

Tourists enjoy an outdoor hot spring at a hotel in Benxi, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Dec. 10, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Liaoning boasts over 1,200 hot spring tourism enterprises and nearly 200 hot spring projects with investments exceeding 50 million yuan (about 6.97 million U.S. dollars) each. In recent years, the province has been encouraging the business of TCM hospitals and enterprises in hot spring resorts, to boost the silver economy, according to Chen.

For international travelers, China's hot springs stand out for their modern amenities and affordability.

"Compared to other hot spring destinations such as Japan's Hokkaido, the service in China is top-notch, while the cost is cheaper," said Kim Ji-yeon, a tourist from the Republic of Korea, who just concluded her trip in Yanbian.

Along with the booming winter tourism, northeastern China has seen satisfying tourism data.

In January, Liaoning received a total of 68.93 million tourist visits, an increase of 25.31 percent year on year, generating 69.04 billion yuan in revenue, up 24.66 percent. Harbin Ice-Snow World, which lasted 68 days and officially closed its 26th edition on Wednesday due to temperature rise, reported a record-breaking 3.56 million tourist visits, a 31.4 percent swell year on year. Jilin's Changbai Mountains ranked among the top 10 winter destinations in China on a series of online travel platforms.

China aims to grow its ice-and-snow economy into a 1.2 trillion yuan industry by 2027 and 1.5 trillion yuan by 2030, according to guidelines released by the State Council last year.