Memories of a Trip to Northeast China Ten Years Ago - Harbin

Time flies so fast. Ten years is just a snap of the fingers, or even less. I remember traveling to Shenyang, Harbin, Changchun, Jilin, Tumen, and Dalian from October 4 to 15, 2010. Now, flipping through the photos from back then, I can't even tell which places I once visited. I can't recall much about many of the attractions either. What's most puzzling is why there were so few photos. I'm not sure if I never took many or if they got lost. It seems that failing to organize the trip in time leaves many regrets. So, I had to search for the traces I left behind, sort them out, and keep them as a memento.

After sorting, I carefully reflected. The entire trip was very rushed, and I missed many places I should have visited. It was just a case of having been there, and that's about it. It could be considered a down-to-earth budget trip.

On October 6, I arrived at Harbin Station at 23:50. I took a taxi for 20 yuan to Room 306 of Tianlun Fashion Hotel at No. 143 Hongzhuan Street, Daoli District. The hotel's sign read "Tianlun Simple Stay," a strange name. After checking in, I first charged my camera. Photography back then wasn't as convenient as now, and phone cameras were much poorer.

On the 7th, I got up at 6:00 and went to find the hotel staff because the internet could only access QQ but not open web pages. I still remember a young man quickly connecting it for me and explaining how to set it up.

Breakfast at the hotel was simple, perhaps that's what they meant by "simple." At the time, I thought the shredded potatoes were tasty, so I had one small plate and then another. Even now, I still think the potatoes in Baotou and Harbin taste better than elsewhere.

After breakfast, I took Bus 67 (1 yuan) at the hotel entrance to the Highway Bridge, then transferred to Bus 119 (1 yuan) to the Sun Island Road junction. There was one more stop, so I took a taxi for 8 yuan to Sun Island. The entrance fee was 30 yuan, and the sightseeing car was 20 yuan.

Sun Island had beautiful scenery. I remember a spot with golden leaves on the ground, which was very picturesque. At Swan Lake, I saw white and black swans; at Squirrel Island, squirrels; and at Deer Park, deer. The island also had a waterfall, the Water Pavilion & Cloudy Sky, and the Russian Style Garden. Seeing plum blossoms out of season was quite novel at the time. Now, I can only recall from the few photos, and many details are forgotten.

The most worthwhile attraction on Sun Island was the Harbin Ice and Snow Art Museum, which cost 80 yuan. I only had a little over 10 yuan in cash left. Inside, renting a coat and knee pads cost 15 yuan, but since I couldn't swipe a card, the staff only charged me 9 yuan, leaving me less than 10 yuan for the bus. At the time, the staff seemed very understanding and easy to talk to.

As a symbol of Harbin, the ice sculptures were truly worth seeing. They were beautiful and spectacular, though I can't recall the specifics.

On the way out of the scenic area, the sightseeing car driver asked if anyone wanted to take a boat across the river. I didn't ask the price, worried I might not have enough money, so I didn't respond. Later, I found out the ferry cost only 2 yuan. I had also planned to visit the Harbin Polar Land, but since I couldn't swipe a card, I skipped it, saving 120 yuan. Instead, I took Bus 29 (2 yuan) to Youyi Road, which is Central Street, also known as Harbin's Wangfujing. I first withdrew 500 yuan from the ICBC bank.

After withdrawing money, I walked to the Songhua River bank.

By the river, there were the Flood Control Memorial Tower and Stalin Park. I strolled through Stalin Park and visited the memorial tower, taking a few photos.

Leaving the river, I walked along Central Street. I remember it was crowded and lively. At a Russian goods store, I bought a cane for 30 yuan (I don't recall who I gave it to later) and some Russian chocolate for 20 yuan. The shop assistant said you couldn't buy it outside Harbin.

I passed by Saint Sophia Cathedral, where the entrance fee was 20 yuan. I didn't go in but took some photos outside. I remember the architecture was very unique and seemed more complex than Chinese buildings. Sophia Square was nice, and I took a few photos there.

I saw a street vendor selling something that looked like either a vegetable or fruit. I thought it was a fig, but the vendor said it was a "tomato." An elderly woman who was buying called it "thief-proof." The vendor mentioned another name, which I forgot. It cost 10 yuan for 3 jin. Thinking that if it was "thief-proof," it might not taste good, so I didn't buy any.

By then, I was very hungry and wanted to eat dumplings. In Beijing, I often saw Northeast-style stuffed dumplings. Now that I was in the Northeast, of course I had to try them. I walked to Jingwei Road and saw a famous dumpling restaurant, so I went in. For 15 yuan, I got half a jin of three-filling dumplings. The filling was okay, but the wrapper was too thick. After eating, I walked back to the hotel to rest.

At 17:00, I left the hotel and took Bus 21 (1 yuan) to Harbin Railway Station to buy a ticket. The bus stop sign read "Ha Zhan," which I didn't understand. A person waiting nearby told me it meant Harbin Railway Station. I said, "That's too concise; they couldn't even use more Chinese characters." There were very few people at the station, no need to queue—it was the smoothest ticket-buying experience I'd ever had at a train station, especially for a provincial capital. I bought a ticket for the 2624 train to Changchun departing at 10:31 the next day, costing 36 yuan in total. On the bus back, a little child called me "grandpa," making me feel old all of a sudden.

I went back to Central Street and had dinner at Longjiang Snack City. There were many things I wanted to eat, so I chose a third of a plate of stir-fried red sausage (I can't recall the scene now) and a bowl of knife-cut noodles, totaling 12 yuan. It tasted good. After dinner, I walked back to the hotel.

On October 8, I didn't forget to have shredded potatoes at breakfast again, deepening my impression of Harbin's potatoes.

I checked out at 9:30, with a total room fee of 256 yuan. I took Bus 21 to Harbin Station and at 10:31 departed on train 1526, carriage 16, seat 38. Although it was a short stay, Harbin left a very good impression on me.

At that time, I felt that Harbin was indeed different from other places. The cost of living was relatively high. The architecture had its own character, maintaining Western-style features (perhaps Russian), which could be seen everywhere. Harbin was a cultural city with a strong cultural atmosphere. The streets were relatively wide, but there were many small alleys, countless diagonal streets, and many intersections. Take Jingwei Street, for example; it seemed to turn almost 300 degrees. The streets were truly a network in all directions. When I saw the Songhua River, I recalled the stirring song, and it was a place that easily moved people. There were many Russian goods stores on the streets, but I didn't see many Russians. The city flower, lilac, was indeed fitting, and the city tree, elm, was also clever. Elm trees could be seen everywhere, and their charm was different from what I'd seen elsewhere, mainly because of the beautiful yellow leaves. Harbin had a unique feature: stores were called "cangmai." I couldn't figure out the meaning. Nowadays, many people call stores supermarkets, but in Harbin, "cangmai" were everywhere. The hotel I stayed at was called "Tianlun Fashion Hotel" externally, but its big sign read "Tianlun Simple Stay." "Stay" was more vivid and friendly than "hotel." "Simple" probably meant "budget" or "ordinary." Also, Harbin had many translated names in foreign languages, which was another characteristic.

This is my impression of Harbin. I've forgotten most other things.

(Written by Da Song Wanjun on September 26, 2020)