Liaoning

Liaoning province is a hotspot for many wintertime tourists from nearby areas, such as Beijing, Tianjin and Shandong - and for good reason.

Thousands of visitors flock to the province's hot springs in the cold of winter. There are more than 200 springs warmer than 40 C, the most famous of which are in Anshan, Dandong, Huludao and Benxi.

Splashing in hot water here is a cheaper, and much, much warmer, way to enjoy the coldest time of year than skiing. It's a particularly appealing option for the middle-aged and elderly.

Many of the springs are in open-air facilities, so patrons can lie back and soak in the hot water while they watch the snowfall descend on them.

"I flew here with my friends from down south," Wang Qiao, a tourist from Shenzhen, says.

"There's no snow in my city, so everything here is fascinating to us. It's like being in another country."

Wang was among 2,200 visitors to the Qipanshan Ice and Snow World for the first two days of 2009.

The establishment in the provincial capital Shenyang claims to be Liaoning's biggest ski resort and offers 30 different activities for guests. It will showcase several snow sculptures in celebration of the Year of the Ox, the highest of which stands at 22 m, and is 80-m-long by 40-m-wide.