Harbin: A Magical Winter Wonderland

Mo Tingitng

Lying on the southern bank of the Songhuajiang River， Harbin is a sub-provincial city and the capital of the Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China. Originally a Manchu word meaning "a place for drying fishing nets"， Harbin bears the nicknames "the Pearl on the Swan's Neck" because the shape of Heilongjiang resembles a swan， and "Oriental Moscow" or "Oriental Paris" for the architectures in this city. The most distinctive is that Harbin is the most popular and visited winter destination in China and it attracts thousands of tourists joining this amazing winter wonderland every year.

Ice and snow world

Upon arriving in Harbin in the early afternoon， you will enter an ice and snow world， having a chance to enjoy the pretty ice sculptures without many crowds. Harbin Ice and Snow World， located in the north shore of the Songhua River， near to Harbin Sun Island Tourist Scenic Spots， with an area of 800，000 square meters， is a large comprehensive amusement park， combining ice cartoon， themed snow performances， acrobatics on ice， ice sculpture exhibition and many other art and culture activities. Especially the ice sculptures are lit at night， which would be definitely a visual feast. When darkness falls and all the colorful lights are on， the Ice and Snow World will look extremely beautiful.

Every year， the ice period lasts about 190 days in Harbin， hence it is also known as the "Ice City". This city is most famous for its beautiful display of ice sculptures in winter. The annually-held Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival， which officially kicks off every January 5 and lasts for over one month， is the greatest winter draw for tourists. It is already one of the world's four biggest ice and snow festivals， along with the famous ones in Sapporo， Norway and Quebec. During the nights of the festival， lights from inside and outside of the sculptures brilliantly illuminate a variety of architectural styles and fireworks light up the sky while the dazzling multicolored ice sculptures light up the entire ground. The whole scene unfolds you a fantastic winter wonderland！

During the festival， various programs are presented to the visitors， including huge ice sculptures exhibition in Stalin Park and Harbin Ice-Snow World， snow sculptures exhibition on Sun Island， the Ice Lantern Amusement Gathering in Zhaolin Park， and other activities such as winter swimming， ice hockey， soccer match on snow land， alpine skiing invitational tournament， ice sculpture competition， speed skating， photograph exhibition， film festival and wedding ceremony on ice.

Located in southeast Harbin， Yabuli Ski Resort is the largest ski resort in China so far， as well as the largest integrated snow training center in this country. It hosted the 1996 Winter Asian Games， the 2008 National Winter Games and the 2009 Winter Universiade， providing great skiing with high mountains and good snow. Local skiers enjoy the high elevation and the fact that the snow is neither too hard nor too powdery. The best time to ski at Yabuli Ski Resort is from November to late March of the next year.

Apart from Yabuli Ski Resort， Jihua Changshou Mountain Ski Resort is located in Binxi National Forest Park， about only 42 kilometers from Harbin downtown and taking about 40 minutes driving. Built in a natural basin and surrounded by mountains， the towering peaks snake around and enclose the resort forming a natural wind-sheltered haven. The resort has 15 different ski slopes， which in total cover a distance of 30 kilometers， and cater for professional and amateur skiers.

China Snow Town， official name Bimodal Forest Farm， becomes a beloved in media industry. The pictures and videos by presses， photographers， or TV series had been spread to the world widely. From the past decade， many Chinese TV series including Tracks in the Snowy Forest， Brave Journey to Northeast China， The North Wind Blows were shoot here.

With a free walking in Harbin

Apart from the snow scenery， you can also have a walk in the Central Street in downtown of Harbin， the ultimate symbol of the city. Harbin's hundred-year's history can be traced in this story-rich street. Originally constructed in 1898 for the transportation of railway supplies and called the “Chinese Street”， Central Street was later floored with square stones based on the design of a Russian engineer in 1924. Since then， it has become the home to numerous foreign shops， hotels， and bars. Russian leather， British woolen cloth， French perfume， German medicine and many more exotic commodities can be found here.

The St. Sophia Church， another distinctive building in Harbin， reflects Byzantine architectural features with 721 square meters in area and 53.35 meters in height. It is the largest Orthodox Eastern church in Harbin. Russian style domes， Rome style arch high windows and many combinations of different architectural arts all embody the special fascination of the church. Now the church has become a bright spot in the architectural art sceneries of Harbin. In 1996， it was designated as Harbin Architectural Art Gallery. Everyday， it attracts lots of tourists and local people to come here for visiting， relaxing and taking pictures.

Traveling in Harbin， you should not miss its local cuisine. Due to its special geographical position and long history， local cuisine mixes with Shandong Cuisine and exotic Russian cuisine. Like the warmhearted and straight forward locals， the local dishes tend to feature hot and dense， as well as strong flavors.

In addition， Harbin is an extraordinary place for beer lovers. Harbin brewery is a jewel in Chinas beer crown. The citizens love of beer can be seen everywhere from the omnipresent Harbin Brewery products to the street decorations which happen to be old beer barrels. There are a number of brewpubs that will suit every taste and budget. Harbins black beer is a bit more refreshing in nature. Black beer goes beautifully well with typical Harbin dishes that are loaded up with cumin and chilies. Seaweed beer is still something new and not mainstream. Its nice， with a flavor that makes you think of the ocean. Like a fine whiskey， this is a beer that needs to be savored. It goes very nicely with beer snacks such as fresh cucumbers covered in a sesame oil and garlic sauce. Wheat beer （also known as white beer） is one variety that is absolutely terrific in Harbin. It tastes slightly sour. The Harbin wheat beer with a thick slice of Harbins famous Dalieba bread and renowned red sausages is a treat that no visitor to the city should go without.

Harbin big bread is unique flavor food in Harbin. The large bread is round with the weigh of about 2.5 kilograms. It tastes special and fragrant， and has traditional European flavor. The crust is browned and fragile and the interior flesh is soft. It is enjoyed by all ages of people.

In the early 20th century， Russian traders brought a smoked pork sausage across the border into Harbin. Since then， it has become a specialty of the city. Flavored with garlic and black pepper， the red sausage is the perfect companion to Dalieba bread and tastes even better with a pint of Harbin beer.