What do China, Skiing and Club Med have in common?

In December, Club Med launched its first village in the ski resort of Yabuli in China’s far north, barely 120 miles from Vladivostock.

Club Med has chosen to set up its first 4 Tridents village in the northern province of Heilongjiang exactly 110 miles from Harbin and just over 120 miles from Vladivostok (Russia). The famous holiday brand has set its sights on the ski-resort of Yabuli.

The Chinese Olympic team trains nearby, at Peak 2, as do the soldiers of the People's Liberation Army. Its ski school and its beginners’ training area (very wide to avoid accidents), its 18 slopes covering 20 miles, situated between 470 and 1000 metres altitude, and its Siberian temperatures make Yabuli one of the best equipped ski resorts in China. You can also go ice skating there or go tobogganing.

The company, directed by Henri Giscard d’Estaing, has acquired two attached hotels in the resort. The 284 rooms have been revamped by the Shanghai based interior designer Margaux Lhermitte (Naço architectures). The village has 27 suites, 22 deluxe rooms (52 m2) and 235 rooms of 36 m2. You can also enjoy facilities such as the Club Med Spa run by L'Occitane, a pool and a conference room.

In a country where skiing is an activity that is the preserve of the happy few, Club Med is targeting a wealthy clientele eager to discover the joys of skiing, a sport regarded by the Chinese as chic and fun.

Yabuli Ski Resort is located in the piedmont of the Daguohui Mountain of the Shangzhi City, 193km away from Harbin City in the west. It was the hunting ground of the royal family in Qing Dynasty and closed by the new government after the dynasty was overthrown. This resort has been now the biggest comprehensive ski resort in China since it was reopened to the public in 1980.