By Amélie, travel-addict and blogger*
During the winter in Harbin, which is located in the north-east of China, the temperature oscillates between -20 and -35 degrees Celsius... why would you want to visit China's 10th biggest city in these conditions, if at all ?!
Harbin has found a way to attract visitors to these these harsh polar conditions through a festival of ice and snow sculptures, which like most things in China is on a grand scale. Every year in winter the photos of the festival making their way around cyberspace have piqued my interest, and this year I decided to make the trip to this Siberian-Chinese city to take my own photos (which is not easy in these conditions!).
The photos tell it all, the sculptures are immense, very colorful, veering towards kitsch but always impressive. During the day we admired the snow sculptures at one site and when the night fell (and it is early in these parts at this time of year) we let the illuminated ice sculptures located at two sites make an impression on us.
But Harbin has more to offer than just the festival, there is also a Siberian tiger reserve that was well worth the visit despite our initial reluctance: the tigers are there in numbers and really magnificent, especially with their winter coats. Some are roaming around the different open enclosures that you visit in a bus but some are in cages... including panthers, leopards, cheetahs, and a ligre (look it up ! A mixed breed of lion and tiger). As you can imagine it was a bit of a sorry sight to see some of these cats in a very unnatural habitat of a freezing concrete cage. For those of you faint of heart, look away now, you are able to buy live animals (ranging from chickens to cows) to feed the tigers.
Harbin's location close to Russia and its historical importance as a stop on the transiberian railway between Moscow and Beijing means that there has been strong Russian influences on the city. The Hagia Sophia cathedral, which is now a museum, and the many russian restaurants in the city are witness to this influence. Also, many European style buildings dating from the beginning of the 20th century built by Russians and others can still be found in the city. Zhongyang Avenue runs 1.4 kilometers and is lined by a fine selection of these buildings that in some cases are so well renovated that it would be easy to mistake them as reproductions ! If you are interested in viewing more architecture in similar style you won't be disappointed by a walk in the old quarter not far from the Songhua river... some of the buildings are in desperate need of repair but the neighborhood is as it was nearly a hundred years ago and it is a wonder that it has not yet been bulldozed to make way for new construction.
As someone used to more temperate climates it never ceased to surprise me at how the city went on as normal in the harsh conditions. The commercial streets were full, some of the locals swim daily at the pool (cut out of the river ice!) and local kids are well entertained by all the activities on offer on the frozen river including sledge rides, slides and ice-bicycles.
All in all, a very enjoyable, eye-opening and toe-freezing weekend trip from Hong Kong... so dust off the thermals, ski-jackets and balaclavas and get to Harbin to enjoy a hard-core winter festival.
Voyagista's Tips
• The festival takes place from the beginning of January to the end of February, but from the end of December we can witness the ice and snow construction.
• Hong Kong Airlines has three direct return flights per week : Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The Friday and Monday flights make for a good long weekend.
• The visits are quite expensive. Zhaolin Park costs 200 yuan, Sun island 240 yuan and Ice and Snow World costs 300 yuan. Sun Island is good for a day trip and the other two are much better visited at night to appreciate the illumination.
• Best to reserve a taxi or a car/driver during your stop that they can wait for you at the attractions, otherwise you may be hanging around in the (severe) cold waiting for transport.
*Are you looking for travel ideas for you and the family? Voyagista can help you discover new places in Asia and further afield. Visit voyagista.com
