Beijing, sometimes romanized as Peking, is the capital of the People's Republic of China. The metropolis, located in northern China, has 14 urban and suburban districts and two rural counties. Beijing is the second largest Chinese city by urban population after Shanghai and is the nation's political, cultural, and educational center; also it is a major hub for the national highway, expressway, railway, and high-speed rail networks. 

Due to the influence of the vast Siberian anticyclone, the winter in Beijing is generally cold, windy and dry. The monthly daily average temperature in January is −3.7 °C (25.3 °F). Beijing is an ideal tourism destination in china for its beautiful landscapes and strong Chinese culture, such as Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Badaling Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Chengde Imperial Summer Resort, Huaibei International Ski Resort and Beijing opera, etc. Besides, tourists can get an authentic taste of Chinese festival culture through Spring Festival in winter. It is really an ideal destination for your winter tour.

The reasons that people like to visit Beijing in winter1. The magnificent cities blanketed with snow in winter will enable tourists the unique experience of visiting a different Beijing. 

2. Visitors will enjoy the lower price of admission tickets in winter.

3. The local hotels and restaurants cut their prices by an average of 30 percent in winter.

4. It is not crowded anymore. Along the way, you can feel free to slow down or stop any time to enjoy the landscape or take a rest.

Things to do in BeijingSnow SkiingSkiing has become increasingly popular with Chinese. There are over 10 ski resorts around Beijing which are suitable for both beginners and advanced skiers. To meet the various needs from customers, most of the Beijing ski resorts offers snow related activities such as stimulative Motorcycle on snow land, snow flying disk, romantic sleigh drawn by dogs or houses, Ice garden, and Snow garden.

Ice SkatingThere are a number of open-air ice skating rinks inside some lakes in Beijing. Shichahai Lake and Kunming Lake in Summer Palace are two of the most important outdoor ice skating rinks for many local skaters. There are a few top indoor ice skating Rinks such New World Champion Skating Rink, all Star Ice Rink, New World Champion Skating Rink and more.

Ice Lantern FestivalEach year, starting Jan 5th, Beijing will hold its own ice and snow festival-The Longqing Gorge Lantern Festival. The Longqing Gorge is flanked on both sides by green peaks. Due to the shade from mountains towering on both sides, the area has an annual ice period of four months, offering the ideal venue for an ice-lantern festival.

During the ice lantern festival, ice-and-snow sculptures and ice slides are displayed along 300 meters of the gorge. The evening colorful lighting adds to the fun of evening activities.

Hot Spring BathingA nice soak in one of Beijing’s many hot springs is an excellent way to the perfect place to wash off the dirt and relax your body. There are three popular hot spring resorts around Beijing: Chunhuiyuan Hot Spring Resort, Jiuhua Spa & Resort and Huaxia Hot Spring. Chunhuiyuan Hot Spring Resort and Jiuhua Spa & Resort Actually have the same springhead – Xiaotangshan hot spring. Xiaotangshan has been famous for its hot springs for over 300 years. Local legend has it that the imperial family of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) went there to relax.

Museums and Art GalleriesAll the major attractions, including Museums and Art Galleries, are still open in Beijing in winter. As a China’s vibrant and exciting capital city, Beijing is home to many world-class museums and art galleries. There are over 150 to choose from, ranging from the historical to the hi-tech.

Temple Fairs As a foreign visitor, if you are in Beijing during the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), visiting a temple fair is definitely a good choice to experience the traditional Beijing custom and Chinese culture. Like elsewhere in the world, temple fairs (Miao Hui) originated and developed as groups of vendors did business near temples when many pilgrims came to pay tribute to the gods during traditional festivals. Now there are over 10 major temple fairs held each year in Beijing during Chinese New Year. Most of them are in the parks, wide streets and other non-temple areas.

Shop at the local free marketsIf you are not interested in shopping at high-end shopping malls in Beijing, where everything seems to be overpriced at fixed prices, then why not dig into the plentiful free or flea markets where you can enjoy bargaining with the local vendors.

Curl up with a bookThe Beijing Foreign Languages Bookstore and Beijing Xinhua Bookstore are major book sellers. The China Book Store in Liulichang binds and repairs all kinds of books and periodicals as well as selling them. Another good place for books is Haidian Book Street near Beijing University.

Beijing Travel Tips:1. Winter in Beijing is cold; you need to prepare plenty of pullovers, hat, gloves, socks, a good winter boot and a good jacket.

2. Keep your camera warm to work with battery and prepare more batteries in case of battery discharged.

3. Bring sunglass against snow-blindness.

All in all, Beijing is an ideal place for winter holiday!