Yabuli Ski Resort (Shangzhi)

Birthplace of China's ski industry ('China's Ski Capital'), three linked mountains (Dagukui / Ergukui / Sangukui), 20-plus slopes with the longest 5 km; national snow-sports training base and venue of the Entrepreneurs Forum annual meeting. Yabuli is the cradle of China's ski industry, with ski runs opened as early as the 1970s; the 3rd Asian Winter Games in 1996 made it famous, and it has long been known as 'China's Ski Capital'. Cable cars link the three mountains (Dagukui, Ergukui, Sangukui), and its 20-plus slopes, the longest 5 km, run the full gradient from beginner teaching runs to advanced racing runs; it is also a national training base for snow sports. High-speed rail reaches Yabuli South Station in 1.5 hours; lift tickets run CNY 200-500 per day, tiered by slope and time slot. The Entrepreneurs Forum annual meeting each early winter has made the resort a byword for the Chinese business world's winter gatherings; the resort setup for 'skiing by day, hot springs by night' is mature, and beginners are advised to hire an instructor and rent a full set of protective gear.

Getting there: High-speed rail, Harbin West / Yabuli South Station (1.5 h)