Altay's wintertime play

Hemu town in Altay in the north of China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is dotted with wooden cabins. The settlement hosts an international ice and snow festival, featuring 50 events.[Photo provided to China Daily]

It is constructing a new airport terminal that will accommodate 800,000 passengers annually by 2018.

Flights to Shaanxi province's Xi'an and Tianjin from Altay's airport opened last month.

Plans call for offering direct flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong province's Guangzhou, Henan province's Zhengzhou, Sichuan province's Chengdu and Heilongjiang province's Harbin within two years.

And it will soon launch international flights to Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia.

The government recommends two winter routes.

The first runs from Burqin to Chonghuer to Hemu to Kanas to Fuhai to Altay Mountain Wild Snow Park.

The second runs from downtown Altay to Ulungur Lake to Burqin to Hemu to Kanas to Baihaba to Baisha Lake.

Altay may be a cold place to visit in winter but that's part of its appeal.