Zhangjiakou and Chongli
Updated October 29, 2026
Chongli (崇礼, Chónglǐ), a mountain district of Zhangjiakou, packs eight ski resorts into a few connected valleys about an hour from Beijing by high-speed train. Several of them hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics. On a dry, sunny weekday you can step off the train at Taizicheng, ride a free shuttle for ten minutes and be on a groomed blue run before 10:00. No other ski area in China is this easy to reach from a capital city.
Most snow is machine-made and the air is very dry, so expect firm, fast corduroy rather than Hokkaido powder. Chongli's real strengths are resort choice, quick access and a long season. Where it goes wrong is a resort that doesn't match your skill, the wrong station, or a weekend when half of Beijing has the same plan.
Chongli at a glance
| Question | Practical answer |
|---|---|
| Season | Wanlong opened the 2026–27 season on 23 October 2026; most other resorts traditionally open through November and close from late March to early April |
| Best snow and value | Weekdays from mid-December to late February |
| Fastest train | Beijing Qinghe → Taizicheng in about 58 minutes; second class from roughly ¥84 |
| Weekday day pass | About ¥443 at Thaiwoo for 2026–27; New Year and Spring Festival day passes have run ¥600–800 at the big resorts |
| Beginner lesson | Private 3-hour lesson about ¥800 at Thaiwoo and ¥1,050 at Wanlong; small groups of 3–4 from about ¥375 per person |
| Minimum useful stay | One full day for a confident skier; two nights for a first-timer |
Prices above come from resort price tables published for the 2026–27 season (Wanlong's are carried over from 2025–26 until its new list appears). They show the price level, not a quote. Buy through the resort's own channel or a booking page that names the exact product.
The eight resorts, compared
Chongli town sits in the valley floor. Fulong is effectively inside it; Cuiyunshan Galaxy and Aranya are a short taxi away; the larger resorts climb the ridges 10–25 km to the east around Taizicheng station.
| Resort | Station | Distance from Chongli town | Character | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wanlong (万龙) | Taizicheng, ~15-minute shuttle | ~10 km | Chongli's first resort and largest trail network (about 47 km), with tree runs and ungroomed sides after fresh snow; rime often coats the trees the morning after a snowfall | Confident intermediates and advanced skiers |
| Genting / Yunding (云顶) | Taizicheng, ~5-minute shuttle | ~25 km | Olympic freestyle and snowboard venue; sunny aspect, many long groomed blues, halfpipe and big-air features | Carvers, park riders; expect weekend queues |
| Thaiwoo (太舞) | Taizicheng, a few minutes by shuttle | ~25 km | The most complete resort village (restaurants, rentals, kids' area, pet-friendly lodging); 510 m vertical; exposed to wind, so hard or icy patches are common | Mixed-ability groups and families |
| Xueruyi (雪如意) | Taizicheng area | ~25 km | The newest resort: wide, long trails and few people, with the lift base inside the rental hall; only part of the terrain opened last season | Progressing intermediates who want space |
| Duolemeidi (多乐美地) | Taxi from Chongli station | ~20 km | Small, older lifts and some off-camber trails, but cheap and quiet | Budget skiers avoiding crowds |
| Fulong (富龙) | Chongli, ~8-minute shuttle | In town | Walk to restaurants and supermarkets; sheltered, slightly milder slopes; popular night skiing | Beginners, nightlife, no-car trips |
| Aranya (阿那亚) | Taxi from Chongli station | ~2 km | Few trails and few skiers, upscale facilities | Families with small children |
| Cuiyunshan Galaxy (翠云山银河) | Chongli, ~6-minute shuttle every ~15 minutes | ~3 km | Wide, gentle slopes, good grooming and a cheap night session; often named the valley's best value | Pure beginners and budget weekends |
The short version: first-timers do best at Fulong or Galaxy (with Thaiwoo for a group that wants a full village). Intermediates should pick Genting, Wanlong or Xueruyi. Advanced skiers should go to Wanlong, especially the morning after natural snow.
Do not plan two resorts on a first trip. Each resort has its own pass, rental counter and locker system, and moving between them eats the morning you saved by not choosing.
Getting there from Beijing
High-speed rail
The Beijing–Zhangjiakou line has two ski stops, and the choice matters:
- Taizicheng station (太子城站) serves Thaiwoo, Genting, Wanlong and Xueruyi.
- Chongli station (崇礼站) serves Fulong, Cuiyunshan Galaxy, Aranya, Duolemeidi and Chongli town.
Trains reach Taizicheng first. A morning service from Beijing North arrives at Taizicheng in about 1 hour 23 minutes and Chongli around 18 minutes later. In the 2025–26 season only two daily trains started from Beijing North (roughly 07:28 and 11:39); every other departure left from Qinghe, which is on Beijing Metro Line 13 and Changping Line. If Taizicheng tickets are sold out, Wanlong itself suggests buying a ticket to Chongli on a train that stops at Taizicheng and leaving at Taizicheng; you may leave early, but you cannot ride past your ticket.
Weekend trains in peak season sell out. Book 7–14 days ahead, using the same passport that you will show at the gate. Book China train tickets on Trip.com, or with 12306 directly.
Skis, boards and luggage
Trains have space for ski bags, and the railway runs a ski-equipment consignment service. In 2025–26 it cost ¥88 per set station-to-station, with check-in at least 30 minutes before departure. The desk at Beijing North opened 06:50–11:30 and the one at Qinghe 07:00–18:50. Many visitors simply rent at the resort or have a courier deliver their gear instead.
From the station to the slopes
Free resort shuttles wait outside both stations, and the resorts also run timed afternoon buses back for the evening trains. A taxi between a station and a nearby resort is usually around ¥20. Inter-resort shuttles also run on two loops: Taizicheng–Thaiwoo–Genting–Wanlong, and Chongli–Fulong–Galaxy–town. Confirm your resort's current timetable on arrival day because frequencies change with the season.
Driving and flying
Avoid driving on a Friday evening or Saturday morning. Residents report weekend runs of up to five hours on the G6 expressway. From other cities, flights to Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport connect by airport bus or shared car, but the Beijing rail approach is far more predictable.
What it really costs
For a first-timer staying two nights in Chongli, the main costs are:
- Lift pass: Pick it up with your passport. Weekday prices are much lower than weekend and holiday prices, and multi-day weekday passes cut the daily rate again. Domestic visitors often buy discounted multi-day passes through Chinese resale and livestream channels. As a foreign visitor you will usually find it simpler to pay the published price through the resort or a named booking product.
- Rental: Skis or a board, boots and poles are often bundled with the pass. Helmets, goggles, clothing and lockers are usually extra.
- Lessons: Group lessons cost roughly half as much per person as private ones, and your first lesson should be at least three hours. Learning to stop matters more than learning to turn.
- Food: Expect ¥80–100 per person for an ordinary meal on the mountain. Chongli town is about ten minutes away by car and much cheaper, and staying at Fulong makes town food delivery easy.
- Rooms: Town hotels typically run ¥150–300 per person. Slope-side rooms cost more, and some are still a shuttle ride from the beginner area.
One visitor's three-day budget trip in early 2026 cost about ¥1,213 in total, using a three-day weekday Fulong pass, one Galaxy night session, three days of delivered rental gear, a shared room near Fulong and a ¥190 return train. You will not match that through international channels, but it shows how much weekdays and town lodging save.
Wanlong Ski Resort tickets on Trip.com · Thaiwoo Resort tickets on Trip.com
When to go
- October–November: The first resorts open (Wanlong on 23 October in 2026), but only a handful of trails run. Snowmaking fog can cut visibility, and opening weekends are crowded with people itching for their first run. It's a good time to test equipment, not to learn.
- Mid-December to February: This is the core season. Most trails are open, and it's coldest in January. Weekdays are noticeably cheaper and calmer.
- Holiday peaks: New Year (1 January) and Spring Festival bring the highest pass and room prices. Spring Festival falls on 6 February in 2027. Book far ahead or avoid these dates.
- March to early April: Softer spring snow and lower prices, with resorts closing one by one.
- Summer: Thaiwoo and other resorts run gondolas, mountain biking and hiking. Evenings are cool, so bring a warm layer. Check the last gondola time; resorts do not keep winter hours.
Wind is Chongli's main disruption. Upper lifts can stop on a clear, gusty day while lower beginner terrain carries on, so keep your plan flexible rather than paying for a second resort as a backup.
A first-timer's two-night weekend
- Friday evening: Take a train from Qinghe to Chongli and go straight to a Fulong or Galaxy hotel. If you plan to rent at the resort, confirm your lesson time and boot size that night.
- Saturday: Take a three-hour group or private lesson in the morning. After lunch, repeat the beginner slope and lift loading until you can stop confidently on every run. If you still have energy, try a short night session.
- Sunday: Do a half-day of practice, return your gear before 13:00, and take a mid-afternoon train with plenty of time to spare.
For a confident skier's day trip: take the first Beijing North train to Taizicheng, ski Wanlong or Genting from about 09:30 to 15:30, and take an evening train back. This works only if your pass and rental are booked in advance.
Practical notes for international skiers
- Passport: You need it for the train gate, and Thaiwoo and other resorts also ask for it when you collect the pass. Carry the original, not a photo.
- Payment: Most counters, lockers and mountain restaurants expect Alipay or WeChat Pay. Link a foreign card before you travel.
- English: Signs are bilingual at the stations and main resort areas, and English becomes scarce off the mountain. Request an English-speaking instructor at least a week ahead through the resort's own lesson desk, and avoid informal "coach" offers that bypass resort insurance and lift access.
- Clothing: Layer up. Wear a synthetic or wool base layer, a fleece or light down mid-layer, and a waterproof, windproof shell. Add a face cover and a warm hat under your helmet. Cotton is a poor base layer because it soaks up sweat and then freezes.
- Insurance: Check that your travel policy covers downhill skiing. Stay on open, marked terrain, because closed or unmarked areas are also usually excluded from insurance cover.
Zhangjiakou city and onward routes
Zhangjiakou city is about 50 km south of the ski valleys and makes a separate base. Its main sights are Dajingmen (大境门), a fortified Great Wall gate, and the old garrison quarter of Baozili (堡子里). It works as a half-day add-on for a non-skiing day, not as a ski base.
Most travelers return to Beijing. Make Chengde a separate imperial-history trip rather than a same-day transfer, since there is no fast rail link between the two.