Ice and Snow Journey Heading North

On July 14, 2019, I told myself, I want to go to Northeast China. I want to travel to Northeast China. At heart, I am such a "willful" child. If I want to visit a place, I must go. I want to go to an unfamiliar place, see the scenery I want to see, and experience a life I have never lived. I think the most precious thing in life is the word "willfulness". I want to live for my own "willfulness", so that I can do what I love, so that I can reach the faraway place in my heart. Only then will I not have wasted this life.

At the beginning of 2019, I saw snow mushrooms and rime in my friend circle; that seed sprouted in my heart. I wanted to see that lovely snow, wanted to eat frozen persimmons, wanted to sleep on a Northeast kang, and wanted to experience the life of Northeast locals. After asking a friend for the contact of a local driver, the driver sent the following itinerary introduction. For a girl as "shallow and willful" as me, this adorable introduction was irresistible. I had to quickly pull the weeds.

When the plane arrived at Taiping Airport, I put on my thick down jacket and walked out of the airport gate. Surprisingly, it wasn't as cold as I imagined. I pulled out my phone, checked the weather: -15°C. I didn't feel that cold. I immediately called my mom and said, Harbin isn't cold. But by evening, I started to regret it. Harbin is really cold—the kind of cold that seeps into your bones.

【Saint Sophia Cathedral】

If you use Weibo, I'm sure you've seen a picture of snowflakes swirling wildly in the cold wind, with Saint Sophia Cathedral standing in the wind, shining with brilliance. Saint Sophia Cathedral is definitely one of Harbin's landmark buildings. Its style is typical Byzantine architecture and it is also a national key cultural relic protection unit. The cathedral was built in 1907. It is said that Saint Sophia Cathedral is also the largest Eastern Orthodox church in the Far East (Eastern Orthodoxy is not part of Christianity).

【Practical Information】Saint Sophia Cathedral

Address: Corner of Zhaolin Street and Toulong Street, Daoli District

Opening hours: 8:30-17:30

Ticket: 20 yuan (you can enter and visit after buying a ticket).

【Central Street】

"If you haven't been to Central Street, you can't say you've been to Harbin"—I'll just leave that here. Central Street is a must-visit. Walking along Central Street, you will see many distinctive buildings. These century-old Western buildings gather on Central Street, making it especially unique.

The street is full of lanterns, and with the large number of tourists visiting Harbin in winter, it feels like every day is New Year here. Such a lively atmosphere can truly make your heart leap with joy.

On both sides of Central Street, among the dazzling array of delicious foods, there is my favorite: sugar-coated hawthorn sticks. In the cold weather of minus ten degrees, these sugar-coated hawthorns are placed outdoors in this natural giant refrigerator.

A candid shot of two female tourists.

Seeing this scene, I admit I felt envious. It turns out that getting around in Northeast China really doesn't require walking—you can just slide.

Earlier, I watched the documentary "The Story of Chuan'er" and had a strong longing for the unique barbecue of Northeast China. Coming to Northeast China without having some skewers would be betraying my "willful" self. Taking a bite of the meat skewer, the lamb meat and fat, alternating between lean and fatty, instantly "explode" in your mouth. The taste is absolutely wonderful.

After eating barbecue, my body started to warm up. At this time, I couldn't miss my favorite ice cream—Madier.

After eating and drinking, I walked along Central Street all the way to the end, where the Flood Control Memorial Tower stands. But the night in Harbin is really cold. I couldn't hold out for more than a few minutes before I felt frozen stiff. I had to quickly return to the warm hotel with heating.

I should mention here that I recommend staying near Central Street. Whether you want to go to Saint Sophia Cathedral or the Flood Control Tower, and the upcoming Harbin Ice and Snow World, all are within walking distance. The hotel recommended by Hongwei is also good value for money, with clean and tidy rooms. Most importantly, the heating! The heating really made me feel so warm and comfortable.

Take a hot shower and walk into the heated room. Trust me, you can completely dispel all the chill from before.

Driving from Harbin to Yabuli Ski Resort, the distance between the two places is about 200 kilometers. Set off from Harbin in the morning and arrive at Yabuli Ski Resort by noon.

I looked up information about Yabuli online. The original name of Yabuli Ski Resort is Yabuloni, which means "fruit orchard" in Russian. It is said that during the Qing Dynasty, Yabuli Ski Resort was already a hunting enclosure for the royal family and nobility. The entire Yabuli Ski Resort is surrounded by mountains. Even without skiing, the scenery here is beautiful. If you, like me, have never skied before, I strongly recommend you try the snow tube. Before trying it, I just thought it was like sitting on a swimming ring. After one try, I found it to be really fun—the snow tube is truly enjoyable. Riding a snow tube feels like riding a roller coaster.

This is the super beautiful snow road that Hongwei mentioned.

This road is also called "Ten-Mile Ice and Snow Gallery" (yes, another Ten-Mile Gallery; Guilin has one, Zhangjiajie has one too). After the leaves fall off the trees on both sides, the dark pine trees and the white snow together compose this beautiful ink-wash painting. Driving here truly gives you the feeling of traveling within a painting.

After registering my ID and checking in, I walked to the most lively street in Snow Town—Xueyun Avenue. Both sides of the road were lined with guesthouses and restaurants, and every household's door was hung with bright red lanterns. The characteristic Northeast floral fabric was also everywhere here. This was exactly the Northeast I had imagined.

Actually, behind Snow Town lies dense mountain forests. It is said that the snow in Snow Town is so white and abundant because of these mountains.

A donkey standing on the snow track.

Another donkey. I still didn't dare to get too close.

According to Hongwei, the snow in Snow Town is very special. In Snow Town, it snows for seven months a year, and the deepest snow can reach 2 meters thick. But the texture of Snow Town's snow is very unique: it is soft and highly sticky, so the snow can hang on the eaves without falling off.

These are the snow mushrooms we loved so much.

Snow mushrooms are closely related to the local snow quality. They are also the snow mushrooms that made Snow Town famous.

When night falls, Snow Town shows us another side. Although the night in Snow Town is extremely cold, these lovely snow mushrooms bloom one by one in the cold night. Such a dreamy and romantic night makes me want to press the pause button.

The beautiful snow mushrooms gradually fall asleep with the night of Snow Town.

Bidding farewell to the snow mushrooms, I walked back to the main road. The lanterns on the archway of "China Snow Town" looked especially festive. It seemed that in Snow Town, every household celebrates the New Year every day, and every family makes dumplings. When I returned to the Northeast kang, I called my mom: "Mom, I miss you."

This may not be a must-visit popular scenic spot, but I really like its niche and uniqueness.

As a child from the south, I was very fortunate to see a frozen waterfall here. According to Hongwei, the reason such a wonder forms is that the upper layer of water freezes while dripping down, gradually forming cone-like icicles. That's how an ice waterfall is formed.

I crouched here to watch the frozen water droplets. Under the sunlight, they were dazzling.

As a child from the south, the first time I heard of winter fishing was from watching the live broadcast of Chagan Lake winter fishing on CCTV. After arriving in Northeast China, I heard from Hongwei that in fact, many lakes in the Northeast can be used for winter fishing; the difference from Chagan Lake is just the scale. The winter fishing on Jingpo Lake is also worth seeing.

A tractor equipped with snow chains.

It dragged us sitting on snow tubes toward the winter fishing area. Last time I rode a snow tube at Yabuli ski resort, and this time I was riding one on Jingpo Lake.

Departure, go~

The workers pulled the fishing nets out of the lake little by little. The bighead carp were brought onto the ice. But because the temperature was very low, the fish froze soon after being pulled out. This is also the best way to keep them fresh.

Towering Changbai Mountain, surging sources of the three rivers! The three rivers here are: Yalu River, Songhua River, and Tumen River. Changbai Mountain is not only the highest mountain in Northeast China but also one of China's top ten famous mountains. It also serves as the border mountain between China and North Korea.

The summit of Changbai Mountain is Heaven Lake—yes, that's the Heaven Lake often in the news about lake monsters. Of course, in such a cold winter when the lake is frozen, I believe those lake monsters can't come out. [Practical Information] The wind at Heaven Lake is very strong; be sure to keep warm.

This place is also called "Hot Spring Plaza"; with the blue sky, white snow, black mountains, and steaming hot springs in between, this beautiful scenery is just amazing. Why bother traveling abroad? Isn't this the best travel destination?

According to Hongwei, the temperature of these steaming hot spring waters can reach over 80°C. Together with the minus 30°C Changbai Mountain, they form a charming and splendid landscape.

The Changbai Mountain area is still a primeval forest to this day. Volcanic activity has provided rich geological and biological resources here, and this "underground forest" is one of them. According to Hongwei, this "underground forest" is actually not underground; it's in a valley.

Rime is a very unique natural phenomenon. Whenever rime appears on Rime Island, it always trends on Weibo.

As soon as Hongwei's car parked, I couldn't wait. I rushed straight up. This kind of ink-wash painting scene is truly etched into the bones of every Chinese person.

It is white, it is elegant. It blooms like plum blossoms against the cold wind, adding a bold and colorful stroke to the cold winter.

Farewell, Ice and Snow Kingdom.

Farewell, my Ice and Snow Kingdom. Every one of us is on the road, every one of us is still cultivating our dreams. I hope we are all that "willful" child. We love to travel. After each trip ends, when we return to life, we love life even more and cherish our families more. Farewell, my Ice and Snow Kingdom. Finally, thank you for the care of Driver Hongwei along the way. Looking forward to seeing you next time.