Winter Travel Feast: Celebrate the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival

Text by Qidou Travel Network, Photos by Phoenix Travel

Winter can be considered the exclusive travel season for China’s Northeast. If you want to play in the snow and enjoy high-quality, large-scale snowscapes, the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival—hailed as “the world’s largest ice and snow carnival”—from late December to February 2018 is naturally your top choice. Take this opportunity to head to the Northeast with Phoenix Travel to experience the festivities, while also exploring the beautiful winter snowy landscapes of Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang, along with their historic war relics and rich cultural charm.

Two Must-Visit Ice and Snow Festivals in China’s Northeast
The Sun Island Snow Sculpture Expo, along with the Harbin Ice and Snow World and the Zhaolin Park Ice Lantern Art Expo, are known as the three major highlights of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. Among them, the Sun Island Snow Expo and the Ice and Snow World are two must-visit festivals you shouldn’t miss. Showcasing the creative ingenuity of ice sculptors from around the world, the diverse range of snow sculptures will have you constantly snapping photos to capture the most beautiful winter scenes.

Located on the Songhua River, Sun Island is the birthplace of China’s snow sculpture art. The “Sun Island Snow Sculpture Expo” is recognized as the world’s largest snow sculpture art carnival and one of the biggest highlights of Harbin’s winter tourism. Within its 1.2 million square meter exhibition area, you’ll find both lifelike giant snow sculptures and exquisitely crafted miniatures. Walking through this snowy kingdom makes you feel small.

The annual “Harbin Ice and Snow World” is the city’s most grand ice and snow event, combining thoughtfulness, artistry, visual appeal, interactivity, and entertainment. With its magnificent and spectacular scale, breathtaking scenery, it’s hailed as an “ice and snow epic painting.” Unlike the snow-white world of the Sun Island Snow Sculpture Expo, the Ice and Snow World offers a colorful and crystal-clear sensory experience, as if stepping into a paradise of ice sculpture. Under the glow of colorful lights, it becomes even more dazzling.

Experience Harbin’s Russian-Style Exotic Charm
Known as the “Oriental Moscow” and “Oriental Paris,” Harbin is filled with a strong sense of exoticism, especially along the Central Avenue, dubbed the “Exposition of World Architecture,” and the Volga Manor, which is steeped in Russian ambiance. Additionally, the Flood Control Monument, symbolizing the spirit of Harbin, and Stalin Park, with its rows of tall pine trees and wide pedestrian walkways, are popular tourist spots. In winter, Harbin can be enjoyed in a leisurely, lively, romantic, or joyful way—without the need for long-haul flights, you can experience the rich flavor of European travel.

Central Avenue features 71 European-style and imitation-European buildings, including 13 nationally protected structures showcasing Renaissance, Baroque, Eclectic, and modern architectural styles. It’s a rare architectural art corridor in China and one of the largest and longest pedestrian streets in Asia. Phoenix Travel has specially arranged for you to try Harbin’s famous “Madedel Ice Cream,” allowing you to savor the exotic flavors of this silver-white city while strolling down this Russian-style street.

The “Saint Sophia Cathedral” was once the largest Eastern Orthodox church in the Far East, with a grand, majestic, and elegant appearance.

The “Volga Manor” is a multifunctional tourist resort themed around Russian culture and rooted in Harbin’s history. Within its 600,000-plus square meter landscaped garden, over 30 classic Sino-Russian historical buildings have been recreated, including a replica of the “Saint Nicholas Church,” once a landmark of Harbin, the “Little Birch Restaurant,” designed by renowned Russian architect Labetsky for the Paris International Exposition and considered one of the world’s classic wooden structures, and the “Pushkin Salon,” built in the late 19th-century Russian architectural style with beautiful cruciform patterns made of reddish-brown bricks, fully showcasing the craftsmanship of brick latticework. At the manor, Phoenix Travel has specially arranged skiing experiences (including ski boards and poles) and alpine snow tubing—exclusive winter activities you won’t want to miss.

China’s Most Beautiful Rime Ice is Found on Jilin’s Rime Island

Taking a ferry to “Rime Island” on the Songhua River, the main goal is to witness the rime spectacle and have a magical encounter. Due to its low elevation, surrounded by river water, and the warm air discharged from the Fengman Hydropower Station upstream on the Songhua River, the clash of cold and warm air meets the riverside trees, forming crystals that coat the branches and buildings, creating a magnificent wonderland of glistening silver. The best time to view it is between December and February each year. Rime, also known as ice flowers or tree hangings, offers a fairytale-like world as you gaze at the willows adorned with silver blossoms and pines bursting with silver chrysanthemums along the Songhua River embankment. The local saying, “Watch the fog at night, the hanging rime in the morning, and the falling petals around noon,” perfectly captures the beauty of rime.

Nestled in the Golden World Tourism Circle – The Forest Snowscape of Changbai Mountain is Breathtaking

The “Changbai Mountain Scenic Area,” nature’s darling, combines waterfalls, hot springs, canyons, volcanic lava forests, alpine gardens, underground rivers, primeval forests, clouds, mist, and snow—truly a heavenly paradise on earth.

Especially the “Heavenly Lake,” the source of the Songhua, Tumen, and Yalu Rivers, resembles a jade embedded among the peaks. On clear days, the lake reflects the blue sky and white clouds, creating a stunningly beautiful water-sky connection. Legend says that those who see the Heavenly Lake on their first visit are blessed with everlasting love. Phoenix Travel has specially arranged for visitors to take the scenic area’s eco-friendly buses and the summit shuttle bus from the transfer station to catch a glimpse of the Heavenly Lake’s secrets.

Besides the iconic “Heavenly Lake,” the majestic and ever-flowing “Changbai Waterfall” and the perennially water-filled “Little Heavenly Lake” are also highlights of the Changbai Mountain Scenic Area. Especially in winter, Changbai Mountain’s forest snowscape, located within the 41st parallel’s golden tourism circle, is truly unique—undoubtedly one of Asia’s best vacation destinations.

Take a High-Cold Region High-Speed Rail to Visit Shenyang, the Ancient Capital of the Qing Dynasty

Shenyang is an ancient city with a history of over 7,000 years and was the capital of the Qing Dynasty, “Mukden.” Historical sites like the Shenyang Imperial Palace and Hushan Great Wall are found throughout the city. Phoenix Travel has specially arranged for you to take the world’s first high-speed railway built in a high-cold region, traveling from the exotic Harbin to Shenyang, brimming with traditional Chinese charm. The Shenyang Imperial Palace is one of only two remaining ancient imperial palace complexes in China, featuring architectural styles with distinct Manchu and Mongolian characteristics. A visit to the Shenyang Imperial Palace feels like witnessing the rise and fall of Qing emperors and the unfolding drama of court history.

When in Shenyang, be sure to take a boat ride along the Yalu River, the border between China and North Korea. From the cruise, you can gaze at the North Korean city of Sinuiju across the river—just a river apart, yet the two sides have vastly different cityscapes and atmospheres. The first Yalu River Bridge, built by the Japanese to connect to North Korea, was bombed by the U.S. military during the Korean War, leaving behind the Yalu River Broken Bridge, a testament to Asia’s wartime history of the 1950s.

Take a Boat Tour of the “Benxi Water Cave” to Admire Stalactite Landscapes and Ecology

The “Benxi Water Cave,” a 4A-level national scenic area, offers boat tours through a water-filled karst cave. It features the world’s longest underground river, meandering and deep, known as the “Nine-Turn Galaxy.” Inside the cave, stalactites, stalagmites, stone pillars, flowstones, and draperies are well-developed, with peculiar shapes creating a spectacular sight. Additionally, there’s a paleontology exhibition hall showcasing the evolution of ancient life over hundreds of millions of years.

The Eastern Starting Point of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall – “Hushan Great Wall”

The “Hushan Great Wall,” with its perilous terrain resembling a crouching tiger, faces North Korea from afar and marks the eastern starting point of China’s Great Wall. Climbing to the peak along the wall, you can overlook the landscapes of both China and North Korea, with the cities of Dandong in China and Sinuiju in North Korea in full view. Additionally, the “One-Step Crossing” located at the eastern foot of the Hushan Great Wall is the closest spot between the water borders of China and North Korea, with the river being less than ten meters wide—standing here, North Korea feels just a stone’s throw away.

More Related Information
★ Harbin Ice and Snow Festival (Recommended Departure Period: Late December to February)　　
Departure Dates/Tour Prices:https://goo.gl/7D15DZ

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