Longqing Gorge Ice Festival

At the end of the Spring Festival Week (Chinese New Year) our branch at church organized a trip to Longqing Gorge for the ice festival. There is a much bigger festival father north but this was more local. On the bus ride to the gorge we passed the Great Wall. This was my first sight of the wall. We plan to attend it later so there will be more pictures to follow.

Upon on entering we stopped to study the map so we knew what was ahead.

After entering past a park like area there was a stage set up with traditional performers.

Below the dam a building temporary was set up to house the sculptures and protect them from the weather.
Since it is the year of the Dragon, many of the sculptures featured dragons

Here are Mike and I each next to different dragons.

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Inside this dragon was the longest escalator. It takes you to the top of the dam.

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Here I am at the top of the dam after riding the long escalator.

As night approached the hills around were lit up to look like the great wall.

Even though the bus took a wrong turn on the way home it was a great day.