Lingchuan County, Jincheng News (Reporter Shang Dongxia) On the evening of January 30, the southern sports stadium in Lingchuan County was ablaze with lights and buzzing with excitement as a spectacular ice and snow music festival—blending traditional intangible cultural heritage with modern trends—unfolded. The 2026 Lingchuan Electronic Music Festival kicked off spectacularly with its innovative “intangible cultural heritage + electronic music + ice and snow” format. It injected fresh vitality into Lingchuan County's ongoing winter ice and snow tourism season series, further intensifying the Spring Festival atmosphere in the Taihang Mountains and sustaining the surge in winter cultural tourism consumption in Lingchuan.
As a key component of Lingchuan County's Winter Snow Tourism Season and the “Celebrating the New Year on the Taihang Mountains” series, this festival transcended traditional boundaries by deeply integrating millennia-old intangible heritage, trendy electronic beats, and winter snow landscapes. It presented audiences with a transcendent audiovisual feast spanning time and space.
The most captivating highlight of the festival was the groundbreaking fusion of traditional intangible cultural heritage with modern electronic music. Intangible cultural heritage inheritor He Jinxiu (stage name: Xiu'er) took the stage in a custom-made costume featuring Lingchuan paper-cutting motifs, holding a suona (Chinese oboe). Performing alongside international DJs, she engaged in a millennia-spanning musical dialogue, where the resonant, soaring notes of the suona met the pulsating beats of electronic rhythms. As paper-cut patterns danced across her garments and traditional suona blended with contemporary beats, ancient intangible heritage found new life on a youthful stage, offering a modern interpretation of the festive spirit. “We aim to infuse the New Year celebrations with fresh cultural vitality through the fusion of intangible heritage and electronic music,” stated an event organizer. “The essence of the New Year isn't just about firecrackers; it can also be expressed through innovative combinations of intangible heritage and electronic music, allowing tradition to endure within contemporary contexts.” The festive spirit isn't just about firecrackers; it can also be an innovative expression where intangible heritage and electronic music intertwine, allowing tradition to endure through modernity," stated a representative from the event organizers.
Ice and snow, electronic beats draw visitors; guests from all directions gather in Taihang. The powerful musical rhythms not only ignited the atmosphere but also became the “eye-catching secret” of Lingchuan's winter cultural tourism, attracting numerous visitors from afar. The crowd included not only local Jincheng university students but also visitors from neighboring regions like Changzhi and Henan. Mr. Li, who traveled from Henan specifically for skiing, unexpectedly stumbled upon the event. “I came just for skiing, but this evening's concert was so cool!” he exclaimed. “Hearing suona blended with electronic music felt both familiar and fresh—truly unforgettable.”
Youthful energy illuminated the night, while traditional auspicious symbols found a youthful expression. That evening, nearly ten thousand young people and college students simultaneously raised their wrist lights, swaying their arms to the music's rhythm. The scattered points of light coalesced into a dazzling sea of stars, creating one of the most moving scenes of the event. “These wrist lights represent our new interpretation of old traditions,” explained the event organizer. In the past, people carried lanterns during New Year parades to pray for well-being. Today, this “blessing” has been transformed into starlight on the wrist, allowing tradition to be passed down in a lighter, more youth-friendly way.
Ice and snow energize cultural tourism, adding warmth to winter adventures in the Taihang Mountains. In recent years, Lingchuan County has broken free from the seasonal tourism dilemma of “busy summers and quiet winters.” By transforming winter ice and snow resources into developmental advantages, it has fostered a diverse “skiing plus” industry model. This approach deeply integrates ice and snow with cultural, musical, and folk elements, vigorously attracting visitors to “celebrate the New Year and stay in Lingchuan.”
“People used to think winter in Lingchuan meant just ice formations and skiing. Now we want to show that winter in Lingchuan and the Taihang Mountains can be vibrant and youthful,” said a representative from the county's Culture and Tourism Bureau. “Music adds warmth to the snow, while living traditions enrich travel with deeper cultural meaning. Welcome to Lingchuan—celebrate the New Year atop the Taihang Mountains.”
On the evening of January 31, the South City Stadium will host another concert featuring nostalgic golden oldies. These timeless melodies, etched in memory, will once again fill the air, offering residents and visitors a uniquely warm and immersive experience. This winter, Lingchuan County is using music as a bond, snow and ice as a medium, and culture as its core to redefine the winter charm of the Taihang Mountains with passion and innovation. It aims to make “Visit Lingchuan for Winter Snow” a new tourism trend renowned throughout the Shanxi-Henan region.