Harbin: China’s Northeast Winter Wonderland

The author, Lyndsey writes for briefcases, a website that offers luxury briefcases direct from the manufacturer. Lyndsey is an avid traveler and has lived in the US, France, China, and India. Lyndsey currently resides in Kolkata, India where she is studying the Bengali language.

Situated way up in China’s northeastern Heilongjiang Province sits a quiet city that comes to life in wintertime. Harbin is host to it famous yearly Snow and Ice Festival known as Bing Xue Jie in Chinese. Hoards of Chinese as well as travelers from across the globe make their way to this unsuspecting city each January to marvel at the massive snow and ice sculptures on display. The theme of the festival changes yearly but even if the theme doesn’t strike your interest, you will still be blown away by the sheer size and detail of the sculptures Harbin proudly displays.

I visited Harbin in 2008 and with the Beijing Olympics on their way, the Olympic festival theme was fitting. The ice park, Harbin’s main attraction, hosted countless enormous recreations of famous buildings and sites from cities that hosted past Olympics. The sculptures are made out of giant blocks of ice and are crafted by the best artisans. The best time to visit the ice park is nighttime because the life-sized recreations are lit up with neon lights. It sounds a bit tacky but it actually is an awesome site. The snow sculpture park is best visited in the daytime. It holds massive snow sculptures of everything from scenes of children playing to winter wonderland scenes.

A life-sized ice replica of the Forbidden City - Image by Lyndsey Biddle

The city of Harbin itself surprisingly holds a bunch of other worthwhile attractions to entertain you in case you’ve had enough of the Ice Festival. The main shopping street, which is pretty much the tourist hot spot has a number of heated shopping malls and restaurants. The intense heat of the inside of buildings will have you unbundling every time you step inside which can get to be a pain and the constant change in temperature can take it’s toll on your health.

If I could give just one piece of advice to a traveler heading to Harbin it would be to invest some money in high quality sub-zero degree winter clothing. I though I was prepared and ended up wearing five layers of shirts, three pairs of heavy socks, and two pairs of gloves while outdoors. Luckily my long underwear were warm enough. The temperatures tend to get down to -30 degrees Celsius and if you aren’t properly prepared it could end up being a very painful trip. I had my scarf pulled up over my nose and it, along with my hair, had turned to ice from my breath. The ice park has some small cafes to warm up in but you will be required to purchase something. The drinks are bland and pricey but at least you’ll be able to recover some feeling in your fingers.

Harbin is located near China’s border with Russia and subsequently has a unique Russian charm to it. You will find Russian restaurants, souvenir shops selling Russian goods, and Russian architecture throughout the city. Be sure to visit St. Sophia Eastern Orthodox Church. The church’s style if purely Byzantine and is a visual treat to see in China. When you walk inside you will be greeted by a tacky gift shop. Yes, a gift shop inside a church. It seems a shame to tarnish such a beautiful place but nothing surprises me in China anymore.

St. Sophia Eastern Orthodox Church in Harbin - Image by Lyndsey Biddle

Budget hotels are scared so you will need to do a little online research ahead of time. If you plan to find a room after arriving in Harbin you might be forced to pay a hefty sum. Harbin may not be a true backpackers’ paradise but it is certainly an off the beaten path destination. The Snow and Ice Festival’s sites will surely be worth the long journey to get there and the extreme cold temperatures you will have to endure. Just pack accordingly.

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