Collected the Most Artistic Spots in Harbin, All Free! Experience a Different Ice City

At the end of December, Harbin has already turned into a world of ice and snow fairy tales.

Eating a Modern ice pop on Central Street, experiencing a Frozen fairy tale at the Ice and Snow World, waiting for snow in front of Saint Sophia Cathedral... Have these all been your dreams?

This year, the Harbin Ice and Snow World and the Ice and Snow Fair have also opened as scheduled.

And there is the snow-covered Songhua River, the brilliantly lit internet-famous bridge, the Chinese Baroque style that blends East and West, the well-known Yabuli Ski Resort, the romantic Volga Manor... Harbin can fulfill all your expectations for winter.

Harbin, known as the 'Oriental Little Paris' and 'Oriental Moscow', awaits a winter romance that belongs to you.

However, besides those famous attractions, Harbin hides many niche artistic spots worth discovering slowly. In this article, follow my lens to experience a different Harbin.

When visiting a city, I really enjoy strolling through local markets, bookstores, and cafes, observing the lives of locals.

During my trip to Harbin, I checked in on Gogol Street, which is also a very photogenic spot in Harbin tourism.

This street has two must-visit attractions: one is St. Alexeyev Church, which has witnessed the love of many people. The other is the Gogol Bookstore, hailed as one of the 'most beautiful bookstores in China', attracting literary youth from all over.

Gogol Bookstore is located at 164 Gogol Street. Pushing open the door, you enter a bright orange corridor, and a strong exotic atmosphere greets you.

On both sides of the deep corridor, yellowed old photos of Harbin are hung, and showcases display beautifully bound foreign-language books.

Wooden floors, wooden railings, colorful window grilles—ascend the stairs step by step.

Gogol Bookstore is named after the Russian writer Gogol. The bookstore is small, quiet, and niche.

Stepping into Gogol Bookstore feels like entering a place of exotic charm. From the decoration style, decorative elements, to the bookshelves, display tables, and reading areas, everything has a strong European classical flavor. There are many plaster statues, as well as selected books recommended by Gogol Bookstore.

Overall elegant and tasteful, not only filled with the scent of books but also permeated with the aroma of coffee. The VIP area on the third floor creates a reading paradise.

The most distinctive feature is a doorway built with books, as if entering the gate of knowledge.

The oil painting 'The Gleaners' and the theme sculpture 'Reading Girl' integrate art into the bookstore.

Everyone here walks carefully and reads quietly, the only sound being the exchange of books between the staff and customers.

'In this atmosphere, perhaps you were in a restless world a second ago. But at this moment, you feel as if you are in a quiet ocean.' Isn't it?

If you want to buy some local creative products, there is a separate area for cultural creative goods, with many cute and unique trinkets; there is always one that you can't put down.

But I heard that during the peak tourist season, it's packed with people. This place has become a perfect spot for taking vintage-style photos; I hope it doesn't disturb those reading here!

The Harbin Grand Theatre is a landmark building in Harbin, and was selected by ArchDaily as the 'Best Cultural Building' in the '2015 World's Best Buildings'.

The Harbin Grand Theatre in the winter snow is a minimalist painting.

Located on Cultural Center Island in Harbin's Songbei District, the Harbin Grand Theatre adopts an irregular double-curved surface design. No matter which side you look at, it presents a different shape, which is very interesting.

On that morning under the winter sun, I also encountered a group of young people dancing on the square in front of the Grand Theatre. Unafraid of the cold, they were dressed youthfully, and I marveled that Harbin is truly a vibrant city.

Many people may know that in Nangang District of Harbin, there is the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum, whose main building is a European Baroque-style building built in 1906.

But perhaps many locals don't know that there is a Harbin Museum.

Harbin Museum is located on Liushu Street in Daoli District, Harbin. It was originally the office building of the municipal party committee, and is said to have been opened to the public only in October.

This is a place worth visiting. If you want to understand this unfamiliar yet fascinating city, you must start from its museum. First get some background, then slowly learn about its past and present.

The Harbin Museum is not large, consisting of several independent buildings. The entire museum incorporates the regional characteristics of Harbin and has many exhibitions with local features.

In the first small building you enter, there is an ancient coin exhibition and an ancient costume exhibition.

Walking around gave me a very intuitive memory of the city's history.

Through old photos, texts, bronze statues, scene reproductions... a full-dimensional sense of immersion, turning back time to that never-forgotten history.

The exhibition halls of the Harbin Museum are independent rooms, and it feels good to walk among them.

There are also many European oil paintings, photography exhibitions, etc., which will surprise you repeatedly. If you travel to Harbin and have spare time, you can consider spending half a day here.

It is said that Mr. Hu Shi once took the Manchuria train to Harbin and was deeply impressed: 'Upon arriving in Harbin, I made a great discovery—I discovered the meeting point of Eastern and Western civilizations.'

The China Eastern Railway brought Eastern culture to the world and introduced Western civilization to China. Let me take you to see the Harbin China Eastern Railway Impression Museum.

On the square in front of the Harbin China Eastern Railway Impression Museum, there is an abandoned locomotive with the words 'Huang Jiguang' on it. I took a group photo with my travel companion in front of the locomotive.

Harbin is a city with a deep connection to railways. It is a city that was 'transported' in by trains. Without the China Eastern Railway, there would be no Harbin as we know it today. In the 1920s, you could buy train tickets to Europe in Harbin.

The China Eastern Railway is the abbreviation for 'Chinese Eastern Railway', which is the general term for a network of railways built by the Russian Empire in Northeast China.

The Harbin China Eastern Railway Impression Museum is not large, with only one exhibition hall.

Upon entering, there is a huge crystal chandelier. If you look carefully, the chandelier, reflected by the mirror at the bottom, actually takes the shape of a church, truly amazing for the ingenuity of the designer.

The overall color palette is black and white. The walls display many old black-and-white photos, showing us how prosperous a music city Harbin was back then.

Looking at these old photos, I lament that fireworks are fleeting and prosperity fades. How can one not sigh?

This is the largest exhibition hall in China themed on the history and culture of the China Eastern Railway to date.

It reproduces the history of the China Eastern Railway construction, the beauty of architecture, the music capital, and the window of the city, presenting the old city years of old Harbin, the Sino-foreign commercial port, and the expatriate customs.

The above four places are all very artistic, niche, quiet, suitable for strolling, and all free of charge. I spent a long time organizing this; if you like it, you can save it!

The best time to visit Harbin in winter is from the end of December to February of the following year. Too early, the ice and snow attractions are not open; too late, the ice and snow will melt, affecting the viewing effect. Now is the time. Feeling tempted?