Live Your Best Lives
It's only in winter that we can truly feel the passage of time. The New Year marks the middle of winter, and with this divide, before the New Year, the years seem to shrink, until there's not much left! Suddenly, after the New Year, there's a wealth of time, and suddenly, there's so much to do. Years are measured in time, so where is time? On a clock, on a calendar, or in the sunlight that wanders through the window?
Windows are a house's most captivating frames, their scenery transformed by the seasons. On those days when winter is at its thickest, the warmth from within and the sunlight outside work together to melt the ice and snow on the frozen glass. The melting always begins in the center, spreading outward. Through this wondrous ice cave, I discover that the world is brightest in the depths of winter. Like the midsummer of youth, always shrouded in shadows, lush yet dark, how can a small forest ever be so bright?
I suddenly felt a deep respect for the old man's concept. Only by experiencing life's full potential, shedding the leaves of life's years, can one achieve the clarity of the grove before us. Only with this complete understanding can one find such boundless peace. Peace is not a peaceful sleep, but a broad and rich self-enjoyment. Only the self-enjoyment possessed by creators in this world is life's true happiness.
I particularly like Feng Jicai's "Winter Whispers". When you really go to the north in winter and feel the coldness of the north, the pure white world in front of you is displayed in front of you at a glance. You can't help but sigh at the wonder of nature and the preciousness of life.
DAY1: Hangzhou--Central Street in Harbin at night
DAY2: Sun Island Park-Russian Style Town
DAY3: Snow Town
DAY4: Snow Town
DAY5: Laodaowai-Songhua River
DAY6: Shopping at Saint Sophia Cathedral Harbin-Hangzhou
Before setting off, I made a systematic plan. To avoid shivering in the cold, I planned a daily itinerary and allocated the approximate time needed for each attraction to make the trip more relaxing and enjoyable. Then, I lazily changed the itinerary. Perhaps it wasn't the best itinerary. Yes, it wasn't the best itinerary. Looking back now, I always feel heartbroken. If only I could have stayed in Xuexiang for another day, or if I had the time, I could have visited Mohe as well! Perhaps imperfect trips can inspire the urge to travel again.
Is it cold?
It's really not as cold as you think. Regular thin autumn clothes and long johns, thermal underwear, a sweater, a down jacket, snow boots, a hat, scarf, gloves, and a mask (which proves to be very useful) are all you need. If you're still feeling the chill, bring a few hand warmers. It's best to have two sets of hats, scarves, and gloves to avoid getting them wet or lost. I lost a thick glove while having fun at Sun Island Park. But don't worry, there are all kinds of shops on Central Avenue, and there are also stalls selling warm items all around the area, which can solve any urgent problems.
Turn off your phone
The Apple phone could not be turned on at temperatures between -10 and -20 degrees Celsius. Even if all the hot packs were used on it, it could only barely last for about ten minutes. The Huawei phone was able to withstand the cold well, and navigation was entirely supported by it.
Camera extreme temperature
I use Nikon D7200 and Sony mirrorless camera. I didn't waste any battery packs at all. Everything was fine. One battery can last for 500-1000 photos.
Regarding the problem of condensation on the lens due to the drastic temperature changes between indoor and outdoor: This is a difficult problem, but don't worry, there is a solution. When you are about to enter the room from outdoors, wrap the camera in a plastic bag, then put it in a backpack and keep it airtight. Remember not to open it out of curiosity (otherwise there will be a layer of water droplets on the lens). After 20 minutes, when the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the bag is not much, take out the camera.
What to bring
Regarding the issue of wearing sunglasses to prevent snow blindness, it depends on the individual. I brought sunglasses before I set off, but I didn't use them in the end.
Oily skin care products are more effective. Remember not to go out after applying moisturizing lotion before your skin has dried, otherwise frost will form on your face.
If you plan to hike from Snow Valley to Snow Town, it is best to wear snow covers to protect your feet and legs.
mentality
Finally, the most important thing when you go out is to have a good attitude. People from Northeast China speak bluntly and their attitude may not be very good, so don’t take it to heart. Finally, I wish you all a pleasant journey.
Central Avenue, founded in 1900, is an ancient commercial pedestrian street steeped in history. Here, you can slow down and experience the hustle and bustle of life while also embracing the leisure of travel. The architecture encompasses a variety of styles, from Renaissance to Baroque, yet its purpose as a commercial pedestrian street remains unshaken. A wide variety of designer goods and brands line the streets, with the Russian shops perhaps being the most distinctive. Perhaps because of the cold weather, everything around here seems to slow down. There's neither the bustling nightlife of southern cities nor the hustle and bustle of Hangzhou; everything feels just right. After all, this is Harbin, not Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou.
Madiel is incredibly popular, a must-see if you're walking by. Many people bought popsicles and took selfies in front of the store, making it a popular check-in spot. Of course, many people couldn't understand why people would eat popsicles in such cold weather. In Harbin, refrigerators aren't used to keep food cold, but to keep it warm. So, in such freezing temperatures, eating popsicles isn't unusual.
Most people who go to Central Avenue are busy admiring the buildings. In fact, the square stones under their feet are "antiques" and very valuable. It is said that one piece of square stone was worth 1 US dollar at that time. It was designed and paved by the Russians at that time.
At the end of Central Street is the Flood Control Memorial Tower. Near the end, there are several snack stalls. I didn’t eat there at the time, but after returning from Xuexiang, I came back here to try them. The grilled cold noodles, grilled bean curd skin, and meat skewers were all very substantial and tasted really good.
I especially recommend the Harbin grilled red sausage, which is available everywhere. When you're feeling cold, grab one to combat the heat and help replenish your fat reserves. It's not greasy, and it always tastes amazing on a cold day.
The memorial tower is located at the end of Central Avenue on the Daoli River in Harbin. It was built to commemorate the victory over the devastating flood of 1957. The 1957 flood threatened Harbin, with the water level exceeding the peak of the 1932 flood by 0.58 meters. The city's people overcame the flood and built the tower in 1958 to commemorate the victory.
The tower consists of a cylindrical body and an attached semicircular corridor. Standing 22.5 meters tall, its stone base symbolizes the sturdiness and indestructibility of the embankment. The fountain at its base symbolizes the courage and wisdom of the Harbin people, who tamed the turbulent river into a steady stream that benefits the people, alleviating disasters and bringing happiness. The two-tiered pool at the base of the tower has a lower elevation of 119.72 meters, marking the highest water level when Harbin was engulfed by floods in 1932; the upper elevation is 120.30 meters, marking the highest water level when the city triumphed over the devastating flood in 1957.
The Romanesque cloister, 7 meters high and magnificent in its harmony, is surrounded by 20 columns connected by a band at the top, forming a 35-meter-long semicircular cloister. It symbolizes the indestructible strength of the Harbin people in the 20th century and the rock-solid embankment. The tower's reliefs depict vivid scenes from the victory over the flood. A circular sculpture of workers, peasants, soldiers, and intellectuals at the top depicts the heroic figures who overcame the flood.
Designed by Russian architect Kryasikov, the St. Sophia Cathedral in Harbin was built in March 1907. It was originally a military church for the 4th East Siberian Infantry Division of the Tsarist Russia when they were building the Chinese Eastern Railway. It is made entirely of wood, covers an area of 721 square meters, is 53.35 meters high, and has a Latin cross layout. It is a typical Byzantine-style building.
Tickets: 20 yuan/person for adults, 10 yuan/person for students, free for seniors over 70 years old and children under 1.4 meters.
Opening hours: 8:30-17:00, open all year round.
Day and night have two different feelings. I prefer the church at night, which is brightly lit. The church during the day always feels very cold.
Sun Island, located on the north bank of the Songhua River in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, covers a total area of 88 square kilometers. A multifunctional scenic area encompassing ice and snow culture, folk customs, and other resources, Sun Island was previously believed to be connected to the Russian-style town. However, this is not the case; the Russian-style town is a separate and profitable "division."
If you want to take some beautiful snow photos in Harbin, it is strongly recommended to go to Sun Island Park and the Russian-style town.
1. You can take the bus in the city, and Route 47 can go directly there.
2. If you plan to visit the Songhua River, Sun Island Park and the Russian-style town in one day, the most direct way is to cross the Songhua River. The Russian-style town is on the other side of the river.
3. Of course, you can also book a package of cable car and Russian-style town on tb or some travel websites (remember to book in advance, because the ticket collection is on Central Street, and you cannot collect the ticket if you are on the opposite side of the river). In this way, you can take the cable car to the other side of the river, and the place where you get off is the Russian-style town.
The scenery of Sun Island Park is beautiful in winter, with few tourists and thick snow, which is very suitable for taking pictures. You need a ticket to enter Sun Island, and the price is not cheap. If you just want to take pictures of the snow, I recommend going to the Russian-style town, which is not far from Sun Island and the ticket is only 20 yuan.
The ticket to the Russian town is very unique. It is a commemorative sightseeing "passport" printed in both Chinese and Russian. From the moment you step into the town, you will feel like you are traveling abroad and have an unforgettable "exotic journey".
Inside the town's buildings are various exhibits and shops. "A Century of History" chronicles the important exchanges between China and the Soviet Union, as well as anecdotes about famous figures. Antique phonographs and records, printing presses, valuable materials, commemorative medals, coins, and stamps leave visitors, especially those who lived through the 1950s, with endless memories.
The town's charming gallery showcases Russian oil paintings and handmade embroidery, with live Russian painting sessions. In the shops, visitors can choose from a selection of small Russian souvenirs, including pottery, tea sets, jewelry, watches, ashtrays, telescopes, wine glasses, mirrors, lighters, and perfume. The town also offers Western restaurants, bakeries, and barbecue stalls, where visitors can enjoy coffee and a variety of Russian flatbreads. Alternatively, they can visit the grocery store to buy chocolate, red and black caviar, or select bottles of vodka, champagne, and wine.
The biggest feature of the Russian architecture in the town is that each house has a white wooden fence surrounding the garden house, there is a curved wooden staircase outside the house, various patterns are carved on the window frames on the wall, and most of the roofs have skylights and red brick chimneys, which truly reproduces a Russian town.
There is heating indoors. If you feel cold outside, you can go indoors to keep warm. The furnishings in each room are different, giving a feeling of the 1950s and 1960s.
The town is small and can be explored in half an hour. Apart from a few historical buildings such as "Century of History" and "Soviet House in 1950", the rest are mostly food stores and souvenir shops.
Xuexiang, formerly known as Shuangfeng Forest Farm, is located in the Shuangfeng Forest Farm of the Dahailin Forestry Bureau in Hailin City (Changting Town), Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province, 7.9 kilometers from Changting Town. It covers an area of 500 hectares, with the entire area above 1,200 meters above sea level. Xuexiang boasts a long and frequent snowfall, earning it the reputation of "never having three days of clear skies." Summers are rainy and winters are snowy, with the snowy season lasting seven months, from October to May. The snow accumulates continuously, with an average annual depth of two meters. This is the highest snowfall in China, and the high quality and viscosity of the snow have earned it the reputation of "China's Snow Town."
This is a key point—Xuexiang is in Shuangfeng Forest Farm! Shuangfeng Forest Farm! Shuangfeng Forest Farm! (Important, say it three times!) Before booking, please make sure to check the address carefully. The Zhao Family Courtyard, mentioned in the recent Weibo post "No matter how white the snow in Xuexiang is, it can't mask the darkness of the human heart," is 10 kilometers from Xuexiang. It's located in Yong'an Forest Farm and is not under the jurisdiction of the Shuangfeng Forest Farm Xuexiang Scenic Area. If you're still unsure, do your homework beforehand to avoid any pitfalls.
The most common snow mushroom on the Internet is Dream Home. The photos above and below were not taken inside Dream Home, but from a side road near Dream Home, which leads to a plank road overlooking the entire Snow Town.
I personally don't think it's worth spending 150 yuan to get in. It's really small, and you can take photos of the scenery in the free area. The only difference is that there's an extra Errenzhuan performance inside Dreamland, which I'm not interested in. This is the worst experience I've ever had. Also, Dreamland might have been overcrowded, and the security guards at the entrance were also unfriendly. If you're not looking to see Errenzhuan, you really don't need to spend the money.
I have read many posts online, and most of them reflect that the accommodation conditions in Xuexiang are poor and the prices are high. I hope everyone can be mentally prepared before departure and lower their expectations. An ordinary double room costs 280 yuan per night, which is quite cost-effective. However, the price is not stable. It is normal for it to fluctuate during weekends, holidays, and peak seasons.
There are several ways to go to Xuexiang, including group tour, chartered car, self-driving and bus.
We chose to charter a car for this trip. It was a small 12-seater van with a relatively narrow space. The driver would pick up those who lived near Central Street and St. Sophia Cathedral, roughly around 6:00-6:30 in the morning.
You can also contact the driver directly for the return trip. The approximate return time is around 11:30 to 12:00, and the total driving time is about 5 hours. There will be a break in the middle. The driver will take everyone to a store where you can go to the toilet. There is no requirement to buy anything, so you can go to the toilet with confidence. Please note that there is only one rest stop here, so everyone should cherish it.
Snow Village admission is 95 yuan per person. There's a distance from the main entrance to the scenic area, so you'll need to take a shuttle bus for 10 yuan round trip (remember to make sure you don't lose your ticket, as you'll need to check it again on the return trip). The ride takes about 5 minutes. Tickets are not mandatory; it's up to you to choose.
In order to protect the snow scenery, private cars are not allowed to drive inside the scenic area, so I personally think that the 10 yuan shuttle bus fee is also reasonable. If you don’t want to buy it, you can walk in and see the scenery along the way.
There are many activities here, but they are expensive, so don't try them lightly. If you really want to play some activities, you can ask the hotel owner to help buy tickets, there will be some discounts: for example, if you take a motorcycle to Yangcao Mountain to watch the sunrise, the motorcycle fee is 288, and the hotel owner can help you buy it for 150.
Xuexiang isn't actually very large. If you were to walk from east to west and south to north, you'd need at most three hours to fully explore it. Xuexiang's capacity is also limited. Imagine a place that could only hold 10,000 people suddenly flooded with 30,000 or more. From a tourist perspective, both food and accommodation prices and service attitudes would naturally decline. From what I've seen, there's a sign at the entrance to Xuexiang announcing the standard prices for food and accommodation. These prices are already set, so everyone has a mental expectation before entering.
Xuexiang is very small. Along the streets are either restaurants, shops, or family hotels. It has a very Northeastern style. Xuexiang under the night sky has a unique flavor.
I saw a guide mentioning Lao Daowai, so I went for a walk. Honestly, I don't recommend it. Lao Daowai is the birthplace of Harbin. A hundred years ago, Harbin had only two districts: Daoli and Nangang in the east, where foreigners lived, and Daowai in the west, where ordinary Chinese people lived.
Historical records indicate that in the early 20th century, a group of shrewd, intelligent, and courageous Chinese industrial and commercial elites pioneered the establishment of shops and businesses on Nan'erdao Street, purchasing land and building houses in the heart of Daowai. These Chinese craftsmen emulated the "Western-style houses" of Daoli and Nangang, employing Chinese architectural techniques: exposed brick walls, white lime joints, brick-and-wood structures, and carved eaves, creating the quintessential Chinese "small Western-style buildings"—European-style facades and Chinese-style courtyards. Now, the old buildings have all been fenced off and are slated for demolition, a memory lost forever.
It's said that after visiting Harbin, experts from the United Nations Habitat Model Award selection committee and international architectural experts commented that this complex surpassed Central Avenue in terms of both the number of Baroque buildings and their historical richness. Harbin's only eligible candidate for the UN Habitat Award was the "Chinese Baroque" architectural complex in Laodaowai. However, the old buildings are nearly all on the verge of demolition, while the newer ones create a sense of incongruity.
The Songhua River is one of China's seven major rivers and the largest tributary of the Heilongjiang River within China. Known as the Nan River during the Sui Dynasty, the Nashui River during the Tang Dynasty, the Yazi River and the Huntong River during the Liao and Jin Dynasties, and the Huntong River and Songhua River during the Qing Dynasty, the Songhua River flows through Jilin and Heilongjiang Provinces. Its basin covers an area of 557,200 square kilometers, encompassing the four northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, and Inner Mongolia. Its annual runoff is 76.2 billion cubic meters.
In winter, the Songhua River is covered with thick ice and snow. The colder the weather, the more comfortable it is to walk on it. Many people walk and take pictures on the river. Snowmobiles carry tourists from all over the country on the river. There are many entertainment activities on the river, and everyone can choose according to their needs.
Also known as the Binzhou Railway Harbin Songhua River Bridge, it is located east of Stalin Park on the banks of the Songhua River in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, at kilometer 2,741 of the Binzhou Railway. It serves as the boundary bridge between Harbin's Daoli and Daowai districts. In 1896, Tsarist Russia secured the right to build the Eastern China Railway in my country through the Sino-Russian Secret Treaty. Surveying, designing, and constructing the Songhua River Railway Bridge began in 1898. Construction officially began on May 16, 1900, was fully completed on August 22, 1901, and was put into use on October 2 of the same year. With increasing transportation pressure, the old bridge gradually became a tourist attraction, replaced by a new bridge built across the river, now serviced by high-speed trains.
Harbin has a plethora of Russian restaurants, mostly clustered along Central Street. There are restaurants like Huamei, Portman, Europa, and Tadaos. Being out and about in the middle of winter, I didn't bother to pick and choose. I just chose the closest restaurant, ultimately choosing Europa. You can book a set menu on Dianping or Meituan for a good deal.
I recommend Harbin spring pancakes, which are very famous. There are many Laochang spring pancake chain stores on Central Street, you can try them.
It's delicious and chewy. The spring rolls are also good. They are sold in pairs, and you can add more if you don't have enough. The service is very fast.
There are many of them in the alleys of Central Street. I randomly found one and went in. The owner was very welcoming. I ordered a portion of pickled cabbage pork ribs. The ribs were large and meaty, enough for two people without adding more. The owner also gave us some corn and tofu and warmly invited us to have a small glass of sorghum wine. Of course, don't worry about the price, everything is clearly marked.
There are still many delicious foods that I didn’t take pictures of. Personally, I like the bread sold on Central Street, the beef and mutton pancakes sold near Hagia Sophia, and the Russian-style yogurt.
Harbin Red Sausage, Dalieba Bread, and Qiulin Liadosi have many branches on and near Central Street. The prices are the same no matter which one you choose. You can buy some as gifts for friends and family. Red sausages typically have some fat, but they're not greasy. If you're not a fan of fat, you can opt for the children's sausage, which is fat-free. Dalieba Bread is quite large, so the taste might not be to everyone's liking, but it's worth buying one to try.
Life is a journey, a journey we've endured through countless reincarnations. This journey is short, so why not be bold? Be bold in loving someone, climbing a mountain, and chasing a dream.
There are many things I don't understand, but I do believe one thing. God placed us in this world to create miracles. Even if not everyone encounters a fish, I'm willing to accompany you in silence, willing to live with you forever. But my big fish is no longer there.
---Big Fish and Begonia
To borrow a classic line from Big Fish and Begonia, life is like a journey, and the beautiful scenery and surprises we encounter along the way are precious and unforgettable memories...
