I have added a new place to my bucket list. I want to see the amazing ice city in Harbin, China, which is built each winter.
Harbin is a large city in northern China with a population of almost six million. (More than ten million, including outlying areas). The climate is much like that of western or northern Canada, with pleasant summers and very cold winters. The average January temperature is minus 16 C (3F). Keep in mind that this is the average, and the temperature could be more than minus 30 degrees Celsius (-22°f).
The real attraction of Harbin is the ice city that is constructed each December. This is a huge complex complete with hotels, bars, amusement rides and much more – all made of ice and snow. You will be amazed by the magnificent ice buildings. Sleep overnight in the ice hotel. They create the buildings by bringing huge blocks of ice from the river. There are also huge, incredible carvings, made entirely of snow. I think one must see it to believe it!
Suggested Itinerary
Day one – get to Harbin
Day two – rest up from your trip and explore the city of Harbin in the afternoon. Be sure to see the St Sophia Orthodox Byzantine Cathedral. Built in 1907, it underwent various renovations and rebuilding until 1932. It is the largest Orthodox Church in the Far East.
Day two in the evening – Zhaolin Park to view the Ice Lantern Show. The park is located downtown. The Ice Lantern Show is the work of craftsmen who utilise the resources of ice and snow from the Songhua River to create artworks in ice sculptures. People from the U.S.A., Japan, Singapore, Canada, Russia and other countries join in the competition with the enthusiasts from all over China.
Day three – visit the Sun Island Scenic Area (Tai Yang Dao) for the International Snow Sculpture Art Expo. There are enormous, impressive and amazing snow sculptures. The size and beauty of these snow sculptures is almost unbelievable. The photos are amazing, but I have to go and see this for myself to really appreciate the grandeur of it.
Day four – Saving the best for last, go to see the Ice and Snow World. Located on the north bank of the Songhua River. This is your chance to play in the snow. You can participate in activities such as ice rock-climbing, skating, skiing, sliding, snowball fights, ice golf, and other sports. Hope you don’t get lost in the ice maze. Oh well, you can get out when it melts in a couple of months. This would be fun for anyone, but I imagine that for visitors coming from places that do not have snow, it would seem like something from another planet. There is a swimming pool if anyone wants to go for a dip in a tank of ice water.
Go back to your hotel for a couple of hours and then go again after dark, when it is all illuminated. Go to the bar and have a drink in a cup made entirely of ice (use your mittens—no bare hands).
Ice City Themes
Each year is done in a different theme. One year, the theme was Canada, with an ice and snow replica of Niagara Falls. Other years, Russia and France were represented (see the photo above of the Arc de Triomphe, made entirely of snow). Each day, there are performances based on the festival theme. Relax and enjoy the show after your snowball fight or ice mountain climbing.
Siberian Tigers
If you have the time to stay a few more days, there are other things to see and do in the area. Go on a winter safari at the Siberian Tiger Park. Here you can see wild tigers close-up and take some fantastic photos. I have mixed feelings about this place. It seems like a great place to see tigers and photograph them running around in the snow, but they feed them by hand and treat them like pets. I would go see this because you will not get another opportunity like this to photograph tigers in the snow; however, it would be better if they left them in a more natural state.
The Siberian Tiger Park is located on the northern side of the Songhua River, near Sun Island and covers an area of 1,200,000 square metres. The home range of the magnificent Siberian Tiger is the far eastern coast of Asia near the Russian and Chinese borders. It is the largest member of the cat family. There are fewer than 400 of these endangered animals left in the wild.
Yabuli International Ski Resort
If you have time and are into it, there is alpine skiing nearby, although depending on where you live, you can do that back home.
Flights
There are flights to Harbin from Tokyo, Singapore, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Sydney and of course, other cities in China. There are no flights from Canada, so Canadians will have to leave from Los Angeles.
Dates
Check for opening dates. This year it opened on January 5th. If you have the time, go a few days earlier. You can get in before the official opening and watch the craftsmen working on the sculptures and buildings. It is open for one or two months. There is no exact closing date. It depends on the weather. You will want to go during the month of January. February is usually good, but if they have an unusually warm winter, it could close early.
The above photos are of previous years. These lovely photos are provided courtesy of Mabby. The Ice City is totally different every year. To see photos of the 2014 festival, click here: