Scenery Doesn’t Always Have to Be Far Away [Northeast China / Harbin / Snow Town / Jilin / Rime Island]

Travel date: 2017-12-2

Cost: 8000 per person

Companion: Gezi (a pigeon I had never met before)

[Old problem: since this is a belated travelogue, most of it is recalled from my Moments and archived photos at the time.]

[COVID times, trying not to go out, just typing at home. Besides, I haven’t wandered around for a while, so I need to satisfy myself and keep myself in check. Organizing travelogues is also a good choice.]

This trip was completely unplanned.

First, because there was a steady Gezi – I trusted her 100%. Second, because I’m from Guangdong – the only goal was to see snow. Nothing else seemed to matter.

The group was put together by Gezi online. It was an outdoor group tour, meaning we arranged our own round‑trip flights, customized our own route, and there were no shopping stops.

About what to bring:

Before leaving, I made a special trip to Decathlon. Warmth preparations had to be thorough. I bought things assuming they would be single‑use, because in big Guangdong they’re unlikely to be used again. I prepared waterproof gloves, a scarf, a long down jacket, snow boots (bought on a whim before), a windbreaker jacket, windbreaker pants, quick‑dry thermal underwear, super thick cotton pants, cashmere socks, hand/foot warmers (the small kind that fit inside shoes and gloves). I also bought a thermal camera bag online (basically useless, because my hands were frozen stiff – the whole trip the DSLR just became a heavy burden on my back, and that was the biggest regret – I barely took any photos). Also bring a sealable plastic bag: the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors is huge. When you go inside, you need to seal electronics in the bag, otherwise the high indoor temperature easily causes condensation. One of the older ladies in the group had to wipe water off her camera the whole time, and it’s very damaging. Bring plenty of skin moisturizer, including face masks. Hair care products are also recommended – even though you might be too cold to wash your hair, your hair can become incredibly frizzy and unruly. A power bank is essential – as soon as it gets cold, your phone turns off instantly. Shoes need to be waterproof and slip‑resistant, preferably hiking boots. I wore snow boots and fell so many times it made me question life – rolling and crawling – I never want to experience that again. Ahem – painful.

A thermos is essential. I habitually brought instant coffee, and Gezi brought ginger candy. Every day of the trip we brewed one kind, alternating, depending on personal preference. Gezi also reminded me there would be a hiking day, so we brought some nuts and chocolate, and that turned out to be a good call. If you’re not into instant noodles, you can bring some energy‑boosting snacks.

Shenzhen → Harbin

I set off excitedly and nervously, catching the early morning flight. When buying the ticket I didn’t notice it was a stopover flight – we stopped for an hour in Jining, Inner Mongolia. I arrived at the airport around 5 pm. The guide was already waiting to take us to the hotel. Originally I was supposed to meet the older ladies from Guangzhou at the airport and go to the hotel together, but their flight was delayed by over an hour, so the guide sent me to the hotel first and then went to pick them up. I left my luggage at the front desk, took a taxi to meet Gezi. Alone in a completely unfamiliar city, I navigated on foot with my phone to find the agreed restaurant. Gezi arrived earlier, along with Xiao H from Guangzhou – they had already met. We agreed that once all the group members arrived, we would have dinner together to get to know each other. Everyone in the group was someone I had never met before. Gezi and I had been WeChat friends for over half a year, chatting casually now and then, so we were relatively familiar. Looking back now, I really was bold as a youngster – how dare I travel alone so far to team up with people I’d never met?

H suggested a very famous Russian restaurant on Central Street. After I arrived (it took me a while because I’m bad with directions), the Guangzhou older ladies also arrived – four lovely aunties. Roughly introduced: one was a retired cadre from a government agency, another was a business owner. After retiring, they often traveled together. They had a very sunny attitude towards life. Being the youngest in the group, they took good care of me throughout the trip, and their physical stamina really put this young person to shame.

Four teammates from Wuhan arrived late at night due to flight delays and only officially met us the next morning.

Inner Mongolia Jining Airport – stopover.

The Russian restaurant recommended by H – I forgot the name.

A full table. As a Cantonese, I didn’t quite get used to heavy cream and cheese. Seven of us split the bill – about 300 per person.

After dinner it was already after 9 pm. Gezi suggested walking along the Songhua River.

As soon as we stepped out, light snow started falling. A bunch of southerners excitedly jumped around on the -16°C street, while passersby looked at us with disdain. Haha~

The river hadn’t frozen completely yet. Many people were playing with fireworks and ice skating. We watched for a while, then navigated back to the hotel on foot.

Since the Wuhan teammates hadn’t arrived yet, Gezi assigned rooms and left room keys for them before we all rested.

After breakfast at the hotel, we officially greeted the Wuhan teammates and set off in high spirits. Apart from lunch, we spent the whole day on the bus. Since we had similar taste in food, I teamed up with the Guangzhou aunties for breakfast. They said that eating ice cream in Northeast China is very fun, but I wasn’t in the right mood, so I didn’t join in. The aunties happily gave it a try.

Lunch was a communal Northeast chicken and mushroom iron pot dish – the kind cooked on a stove with fire underneath.

It was around 6 or 7 pm when we arrived at the foot of Snow Town.

We stayed in a farmyard – three people to a room with a big heated brick bed (the legendary kang), shared bathroom. Not very comfortable.

The farmyard offered a free dinner – very plain, not enough to fill me up. But besides instant noodles, there was no other choice. They also provided an activity of making dumplings – the dumplings we made would be breakfast the next day. I wasn’t very engaged, but the Wuhan teammates got creative – one dumpling had several spoonfuls of salt thrown in.

Then the classic Northeast bonfire + yangge dance – quite fun, but since I wasn’t familiar with anyone, I didn’t join the snowball fight; I watched from a distance. Gezi’s fighting ability was explosive.

Oddly shaped, terrible-looking dumplings...

【Snow Town National Forest Park】

Breakfast – I forget whether it was instant noodles or nothing – too clear how last night’s dumplings were made.

We hiked across the snowy mountain, 18 km in total. It took 7.5 hours of climbing – literally using both hands and feet. My face was freezing while my back was sweating. I wore the wrong shoes and fell so many times I questioned life. Midway, one of the Guangzhou aunties kept helping me along. At the very end, Gezi accompanied me to the finish. I was completely exhausted both physically and mentally. Lunch was skipped. The scenery along the way was wonderful.

Gezi took the lead, carrying a plastic bag, picking up trash along the way. Other hikers spontaneously joined in.

If Gezi hadn’t accompanied and encouraged me in the second half, I would probably have broken down crying. Three out of every two steps I fell flat on my face – utterly pathetic.

After reaching Snow Town, I took a photo with Gezi – even our hair strands were frozen. Coincidentally, we bought the same gloves (children’s size).

My good scarf was wrapped into a rag...

That night we stayed in another farmyard, again with a kang, three‑person room. Luckily this time we had a private bathroom. They also provided dinner. Maybe because I was starving, the guobao rou (crispy pork slices) was absolutely delicious.

During dinner I felt especially embarrassed – after the hike, the Guangzhou aunties walked briskly, while I was the last to arrive and the most disheveled. They kept taking care of me, picking food for me, asking how I was.

After dinner I wanted to just stay in bed, but thankfully my teammates repeatedly invited me out. The night view of Snow Town was a 100% surprise to my mood at that moment, instantly washing away all the day’s fatigue.

We strolled through Snow Town’s little streets. Gezi went to meet a friend who was leading another group in Snow Town.

I followed the Wuhan teammates, trying to find a hotpot restaurant, but there was none. We went into a barbecue place that looked decent, but the food was worse than the free group meal we had.

After several days, my Cantonese stomach started being picky – Northeast flavors tend to be salty, so after meals I couldn’t stop drinking water.

We watched a parade performance and joined a big bonfire dance in Snow Town – clumsy and chaotic.

Originally the itinerary included ice fishing, but the guide said the ice wasn’t thick enough, so we couldn’t go. Instead we were taken to some park to see an ice waterfall sculpture – quite disappointing. It was artificially pumped water, nothing much to see.

I didn’t even take a photo.

After gathering, it was already past noon. The guide found a place for lunch – shared cost.

At the door of the restaurant we bought frozen pears and frozen persimmons – very sweet. Also bought some dried fruit snacks, I forget the name – they were good, so I bought some to take back to Shenzhen.

We stayed at a hot spring hotel that night. Since it was mixed‑gender bathing, we had to go to the first floor and take a shuttle – lazy, so I skipped it. Dinner was probably at the hotel.

【An unmemorable day.】

We transferred between scenic area buses and headed straight to Heaven Lake. The guide said a few days ago someone saw a Siberian tiger on the bus ride up the mountain, but we weren’t so lucky. After reaching the summit, we had instant noodles for lunch.

-31°C, with 8‑grade wind and snow (level 8 wind).

Frozen beyond belief – no time to be picky. A thermos of water, one cup, a few teammates, one sip each. Lunch was instant noodles at the summit visitor center, and we queued for a long time.

I learned my lesson today – I bought ice cleats in advance, so I didn’t fall.

Although the wind and snow weren’t strong enough to close the boardwalk, standing there in the snowstorm turned me into a frozen lump. Relying only on my body weight and holding onto the chain railings, I still didn’t get lucky enough to see the true face of Heaven Lake.

I took a touristy “been here” photo, then rushed back to the visitor center to queue for the bus down. We got a message from the guide to come down as soon as possible, otherwise if the mountain got sealed by snow, we’d have to wait until the storm passed.

The way down was terrifying – visibility was nearly zero. It was a two‑way road, and some sections had no guardrails. The driver was probably used to it and drove down at about 50 km/h. On both sides were cliffs or mountain walls. We kept whispering to him, “Slow down, slow down,” palms sweating with tension.

We arrived in Yanbian, Jilin in the evening. After freshening up at the hotel, we went out in small groups.

Originally we planned to visit the night market and look for food. During the taxi ride, we chatted with the driver. He recommended a small local restaurant where locals usually eat with friends – very affordable.

An authentic Yanbian Korean restaurant.

The meal cost about 120 in total. The white small rice cakes were delicious – they were complementary side dishes, and we asked for an extra serving. The two of us also had a little alcohol. Finally we packed up some leftovers and drinks to take back, saying we’d share with the aunties – but actually we hadn’t drunk enough. Two girls didn’t dare stay out too late, so we went to the aunties’ room to drink, chat, and listen to their feelings about life – very optimistic, positive, happy with simple joys.

The next morning was mostly travel. At noon the guide recommended a few good restaurants with different cuisines, and we split into groups.

I really liked the guobaorou (crispy pork), though I can’t remember the taste now.

My Moments at the time: “Guobaorou is unbeatable. This whole table was only 208 yuan for 7 people.”

In the afternoon the guide arranged for us to go to 【Wujiashan Ski Resort】.

H from Guangzhou was an experienced player; the rest of us, including me, were total beginners. After putting on skis, we struggled to move even an inch, gave up quickly.

Gezi and I tried the snow tubing – I didn’t want to do it again after one go. I don’t know where my courage for bungee jumping came from. Gezi had a bad fall – someone coming down from behind crashed into her and knocked her head. I ran in and helped her up. Everyone quickly headed into town. I went to the hospital with Gezi and one of the aunties; the others went straight to the hotel. After the check‑up, it turned out to be just abrasions. We navigated on foot to the hotel and rested. That evening Gezi suggested everyone have a group dinner, because the next day we would go to Rime Island early, and by around noon we would all go our separate ways.

At the hotpot restaurant, some teammates started drinking again. I stuck with the aunties and avoided alcohol, finished my meal, and went back to the hotel. The guide, Mengzi (a big Northeast guy), was apparently drunk by the Wuhan teammates.

We got up at 4 am. Several Wuhan teammates said they’d sleep in and didn’t join us.

After seeing the rime, since my trip was ending, I and H from Guangzhou brought our luggage. Halfway, we got off at the Jilin high‑speed rail station. The bus went back to the hotel to pick up the Wuhan teammates and then returned directly to Harbin.

The Wuhan teammates stayed in Harbin for two more days.

Gezi and the Guangzhou aunties took a train to Mohe that day. Gezi later shared many interesting stories with me.

I arrived at Changchun Airport around 10 am. H’s flight was at noon, earlier than mine – my flight was at 5 pm. I waited and waited, unfamiliar with the place, no point in going out alone.

The following series of photos was the only time I took out my DSLR during the whole trip – because my hands were too cold.

Since Gezi works in tourism, she used her company’s name and said it was an inspection tour, so our group fee was quite reasonable. The route was entirely customized by Gezi.

Except for the two nights in Snow Town National Forest Park and inside Snow Town (where we slept on the kang), the rest of the accommodation was quite good local hotels – some four‑star, some five‑star.

Half of the breakfasts were included in the hotel, or provided by the farmyards (where the free meals were offered in remote places out in the middle of nowhere). Dining expenses were reasonable, similar to eating out on ordinary days.

Why are there more food photos? Because indoors you don’t freeze your hands – outdoors, my fingers were basically numb most of the time.

As soon as I pulled out my phone, it turned off from the cold. The DSLR stayed in my backpack because I was too lazy to take it out.

Gezi posted a team‑up notice on some website. Several groups of people were complete strangers at first. If you don’t have experience teaming up online, don’t imitate this casually. Although I admire the Guangzhou aunties – at their age they still know how to organize a group online (I didn’t even know how), and they can live such colorful lives – if it weren’t for Gezi, I would never have teamed up with unrelated strangers. Gezi is a highly experienced player. Gezi and I had never met before, but we had been WeChat friends for over half a year (introduced by a teammate I met on the road during a trip to Zhangjiajie; if you’ve read my travelogue on Seda, you might understand how trust can form without meeting).

To this day, I only travel with familiar friends and have never considered online team‑ups.

When traveling, safety is the most important thing; everything else is just clouds.

When we parted, everyone knew it was our first meeting, and it might also be our last. We joked that when we’re 60, we could still meet to dance square dancing. Later, Gezi and I planned two trips to Xinjiang, but I stood her up both times. Gezi got stood up – quite a tongue twister. But hey, I’m just a poor working dog who needs to earn a living in order to have a faraway place.

(Now I still have everyone’s WeChat on my phone. We may not even greet each other during holidays, but I enjoy seeing their travel footprints shared on Moments – that’s enough.)

Love life, love yourself, cherish the present moment – that is the best scenery along the way.

The following photos were shared by Gezi from Mohe.