The Winter Universiade (Jan 15–25, 2027) is the perfect excuse: rime-ice mornings, Olympic-grade ski resorts, Harbin's neon ice city and the best cold-weather food in China.
North-east China — Dongbei — is about to host the world's biggest winter student sports event, and the region's ice-and-snow season is the best-value winter travel in China: record snow, Harbin-scale ice festivals, hot springs beside frozen volcanoes and the heaviest, warmest food culture on the map. This column is your shortcut: the Games first, then the cities, sights and food worth building a trip around.
The 33rd FISU World University Winter Games runs 15–25 January 2027 across two cities in Jilin Province — Changchun, the provincial capital, and Jilin City 100 km east. Organisers expect 3,716 athletes and officials from 63 countries and regions, the largest entry in Universiade history, across 12 sports and 97 events. The motto translates roughly as "Dream of ice and snow, everlasting youth."
Sources: State Council Information Office press conference, 14 Oct 2026 (remarks by the Organising Committee, carried by China News Service, Economic Daily and Guangming Daily). Verified Nov 1, 2026. Ticketing for the Games had not opened at the time of writing — buy only through official Universiade channels when sales start.
| Practical point | What we know |
|---|---|
| Tickets | Not on sale yet at the time of writing. The Organising Committee has said spectator services are part of the plan — buy only through official Universiade channels when sales open, and treat resellers as scams. |
| Base yourself | Changchun for ice sports; Jilin City for Beidahu and Songhua Lake. The two are 30–40 min apart by high-speed rail or intercity train. |
| Getting in | Changchun Longjia International Airport (CGQ) has the main links — and unusually, a high-speed rail station inside the terminal with direct trains to both Changchun (13 min) and Jilin City (25 min). |
| Weather reality | January in Jilin runs −10 to −25 °C. Outdoor events (cross-country, alpine) mean hours in the cold: full winter kit, hand warmers, spare phone batteries. |
| Visa | Citizens of ~50 countries enter visa-free for up to 30 days under the current unilateral/mutual policies (see the home-page checker); the 240-hour transit-free rule also applies at Changchun airport. Confirm on the National Immigration Administration site. |
A movie-city turned motor city with a soft spot for snow. Changchun is flat, cheap, easy to get around, and packed with 20th-century history you can walk through in an afternoon — plus one of Asia's most unusual city trams still running through the streets.
The palace where Puyi — the last emperor of China — was installed as puppet ruler of Japanese-occupied Manchukuo. Genuinely one of the most atmospheric 20th-century museums in China, and sobering with it.
Tip — the audio guide is worth it; the story is heavy and the context makes the rooms land.
A vast forest-and-lake park on the city's edge that becomes a cross-country ski world every January — it hosts the annual Vasaloppet China ski marathon, and its trails feed directly into the Universiade snow-sport atmosphere.
Tip — rent skis or just walk the frozen lakeshore; light rail line 3 gets you there.
Changchun was the cradle of Chinese cinema; the old studio museum preserves sets, props and projector halls. Pair it with the vintage green tram (route 54) that still rattles through snowy streets — it is the city's postcard.
Tip — ride the tram at dusk with snow falling; it is the single most Changchun thing you can do.
An indoor hill-village mall carved with lantern-lit paths — absurd, fun, and warm at −20 °C — plus the night market street where Changchun actually eats.
Tip — Guilin Road's grilled cold noodles (kao lengmian) are the local currency of happiness.
On cold still nights the Songhua River's mist freezes onto every branch, and by sunrise the trees wear full white crystal coats — one of China's four natural wonders. Season runs late December to late February, best at dawn after a windless −20 °C night.
Tip — rime is weather-lottery: ask your hotel the night before which villages reported mist. Han Tun and Zengtong villages are the classic viewpoints.
One of China's best natural-snow resorts and the Universiade's alpine, big-air, halfpipe and slopestyle venue. 40+ runs, serious vertical, and much quieter than Japanese mega-resorts.
Tip — shuttle buses run from Jilin City in ~70 min; gear rental on site is complete and decent.
The resort above the frozen Songhua river valley hosting snowboard parallel and ski mountaineering. Big modern lift system, night skiing, and it is the closer of the two resorts to the city.
Tip — the resort's hotels let you be first on the lifts, which in January means untouched powder.
Three hours north of Changchun by high-speed rail: the Ice and Snow World's full-size neon ice city, Russian squares and the frozen Songhua carnival. Our full Harbin guide covers tickets and timing.
Tip — pair Games days in Changchun with a Harbin weekend; the HSR trains are frequent and cheap.
China's deepest lake sits in a volcanic crater at 2,190 m, ringed by sixteen peaks — partly frozen and steaming in winter. The north slope adds waterfalls, hot springs and the 'Magic World' misty forest on the way down.
Tip — the crater rim closes in high wind without warning; build a spare morning. Jinjiang or Erdaobaihe are the practical bases.
The early Qing palace (¥50, Unesco-listed) is a smaller, calmer cousin of Beijing's Forbidden City, and the city's street-food scene — grilled chicken skeletons included — is a national legend. Two hours from Changchun by rail.
Tip — winter is the right season for Shenyang's steaming jiaozi houses and the Liaoning Museum (free, reserve).
The fairy-tale logging village where snow stacks meters deep on wooden roofs — famous, busy, and genuinely beautiful if you pick a weekday.
Tip — book heated-kang guesthouses well ahead; prices peak on weekends and around the Games.
Northeast food is built for −25 °C: big, hot, pickled and deeply satisfying. Do not leave without these:
The full city system applies to the northeast too — visa rules, payment setup and packing lists all carry over.
Harbin city guide All destinations Before-you-fly checklist