In the following, I am going to tell you and to show you why I consider the authorities of Harbin to be among the most clever in the world.
But a brief introduction into where and what Harbin is may be in order first.

Harbin is the capital city of the North-Eastern province of Heilongjiang – China. Over 5 Million people live in Harbin. So one may think it’s just another big city in China. And in a way it is.

But Harbin is also China’s No.1 winter tourist destination. And one of China’s highest rated tourist attractions.

While you won’t see many Western tourists (yet), the city is bustling with visitors from all over China, as well as from neighboring countries like Japan or Korea.

Let me start with some photographs first before I tell you the whole story:

So what makes Harbin to be such a draw ? Why would anyone want to visit a major metropolis with such an uninviting climate ?

Harbin is cold. Very cold indeed. After all, it’s just a few hundred kilometers from the border with Siberia.

During Winter, which lasts from October to March, temperatures around minus 20 degrees are common. It occasionally can go down to minus 35 degrees.

Over periods of history, the Russians in one way or another helped to shape Harbin’s architecture and culture.

And this Russian influence can still be felt all over Harbin. There many corners of Harbin that do not look Chinese at all.
But I am rambling on too much. Let’s see some more impressions on Harbin first before I reveal why I think those ‘Harbiners’ are smart fellas. 

The Russian influence is best seen in and around Harbin’s famous Saint Sofia Cathedral and the surrounding avenues.
Some of those buildings being old and others newly built, yet incorporating a rather Russian / European style.

But this Russian influence is certainly not enough for turning this bitter cold place into a major tourist magnet.
So what is it then ?

About 30 years ago the authorities there have been brainstorming on how to make Harbin attractive.
And they came up with what turned out to be an ingenious idea.

Through city center of Harbin runs a huge river, the Songhua. Which from end of November until at least end of February completely freezes over. The ice becomes so thick that trucks can safely drive on the river.
And this river provides a limitless supply of ice.

So they came up with the idea to build impressive large structures from ice and turn them into a tourist attraction.
And born was the Snow & Ice Festival of Harbin. And it is impressive indeed.

So let’s see some more pictures. 

There are snow and ice structures and sculptures all over town in Harbin. But the three main attractions are the ‘Snow part’ on sun island, across the river from Harbin’s main square. Here all the structures are built from snow. So it’s all white on white. This one is officially called: Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Fair – 太阳岛国际雪雕艺术博览会

This part you should explore during the daytime. You should have at least two hours to see it all. The area is huge. You won’t have a problem spending the entire afternoon there.

Don’t worry if it gets too cold. There are many small coffee and tea houses where you can warm up.

The Ice part, officially called: Ice and Snow World – 冰雪大世界 is a few kilometers away on the outskirts of Harbin. This part is best visited from shortly before dusk and during the night. Why ? Because all the Ice structures are illuminated from inside.

The ice structures here are a mix of replicas of famous buildings from around the world and some fancy structures – hard to describe, but lovely too look at.

This year they even had a giant Buddha statue and the place was turned into an ‘ice temple’. But not just a replica – the real thing in that sense that devote Buddhist are saying their prayers there and offer incents.

And one of the reasons why I came to Harbin’s snow and ice festival already for the 2nd time is because it’s also great for children. Most of the ice structures can be walked in or upon. And many have slides for kids to have fun.

And then there is another version of the ice festival part right in the center of town in a park. Official name: Ice Festival, Zhaolin Park – 冰雪游园会, 兆麟公园

This one is considerably smaller, yet still worth exploring. Also, better go there after it gets dark.
In the following a few photographs from the Ice Festival in Zhaolin Park.