Chapter 63: A soak in the hot springs
Xiling Snow Mountain was a national scenic area and a famous tourist destination in Xichuan Province. The great snow peak within the area stood five thousand meters above sea level, its snow never melting throughout the year or through the ages, earning it the reputation of Rongcheng's foremost peak.
Xiling had been a provincial scenic area in Xichuan Province since the late eighties. In 1994, the State Council designated it one of China's key scenic areas. In 1999, what was currently the country's largest and best-equipped alpine ski resort and amusement park was developed at an elevation of 2,000 meters. It was famous both at home and abroad.
Construction on several four-star hotels began in 2000, but the most eye-catching was undoubtedly the Swedish five-star Scandina hotel villa complex. The villas were built along the hot spring belt, with the preliminary processing of the materials completed in Sweden before they were airfreighted to the snow mountain for assembly. It was called "the hotel transplanted from Sweden."
Since its completion at the end of last year, the hotel had made quite an impression in Southwest China's upper-class circles. Driving to the snow mountain to ski and soak in hot springs was more convenient and economical than skiing abroad, and it had also become the preferred choice for meeting friends and conducting business. After the turn of the year, the trend had only grown stronger. At that moment, a long procession of luxury cars on National Highway 3, heading toward Dayi, where Xiling Snow Mountain was located, made a dazzling sight.
Leading the way were a red Ferrari and a yellow Lamborghini, followed by a sedate black Cadillac DeVille, a silver-white Volvo, a Lexus GS, and an assortment of other models, including some Toyotas