About 600 skiers from home and abroad took part in the event.

It marked the first international cross-country skiing event to be organized by China.

The festival was open to the public, with everyone encouraged to join the antics.

"The scenery here is very nice and very similar with that of my native Sweden. I will come back next year," said Oskar Svard, winner of the 36-kilometre cross-country race.

Liu Jiaren, an official from Changchun Tourism Bureau, said: "Following the rise in living standards, people are now paying more attention to tourism activities.

"Jilin enjoys an abundance of snow and ice and now is the perfect time to showcase the features to the outside world."

Twelve-year-old Tian Xiaoyu, who took home first place in the 500-metre race, began skiing three years ago to improve physical strength.

"Skiing ensures I have a healthy body," she said. And it gives me a lot of pleasure. I love this game."

It took more than 2 million yuan (US$241,837) to organize the game as most of the existing snow had started thawing in the warmer weather.

"Though it is rather expensive, I think it has served to expand communication between China and the rest of the world," said one onlooker, who declined to be named.

"We can gain a wealth of experience by hosting these kinds of large-scale sporting events in a bid to better prepare ourselves for the 2007 Asian Winter Games."

Jilin and neighboring Heilongjiang Province share the same latitude with northern Europe and hold great potential for hosting the winter games.

(China Daily March 18, 2003)