A Southern Girl's Wish: I Want to See Snow with You in the Northeast

The snow country of Northeast China—I could stay for an entire winter.

The three northeastern provinces are the only region I have never visited in all my years of traveling far and wide. As a southern girl, I could endure the sub-zero temperatures of Tibet in winter and survive the southern Fujian winters where it's colder indoors than out without heating. But whenever the Northeast was mentioned, temperatures of minus twenty-plus degrees made me keep my distance time and again.

One day in late autumn and early winter, while chatting with me, Haowen asked, "Want to go to the Northeast?" I heard that in the Northeast, you don't need an umbrella when it snows, the indoors are super warm and you can even wear short sleeves, and outdoors it's like a giant fridge with ice cream that never melts. And just like that, a few of us friends agreed to go together—what a wonderful thought.

I want to go to Central Street in Harbin to eat a Modier ice cream bar, I want to go to the Snow Village in the Northeast to see the famous snow hanging from the eaves all the way to the ground, I want to go to Changbai Mountain to see the elusive Heavenly Lake and the steaming hot springs amidst the frozen landscape. All of this made me look forward to the upcoming trip to the Northeast.

Day0: Sanya - Harbin

Day1: Harbin - Phoenix Mountain Grand Canyon - fireworks at night

Day2: Phoenix Mountain Summit Snow-covered Pines - Snow Village (Muke Leng log cabin night view)

Day3: Snow Village - Big Snow Valley for snow play - Hengdaohezi Town (Russian Old Street) - Linhai (bathhouse body scrubbing)

Day4: Hengdaohezi Town - Jingpo Lake (frozen for thousands of miles) - Gem Town (hot springs, Yanbian BBQ)

Day5: Erdaobaihe Town - Changbai Mountain Heavenly Lake (Korean-style dinner)

Day6: Changbai Mountain Baihua Valley Korean Village - Jilin Rime Island

Day7: Jilin Rime Island - Harbin Central Street

Day8: Harbin - Quanzhou

I must say, I was really brave—wearing just a thin pair of stockings, I flew from Sanya to Harbin to meet up with my friends. When I landed, the airport heating was so strong that I was still cocky. Wang Lu (our full-trip guide) picked me up and took me to Brother Xiao Jiang’s car (our full-trip private driver). It was only a few dozen meters, but I already felt the cold of the Northeast.

This time in the Northeast, I joined the Xuecheng International Outdoor Club. They are great because they arrange the itinerary according to the guests' needs. For example, originally we had skiing scheduled on the sixth day, but that day everyone was probably a bit tired, and collectively we said we'd rather go somewhere else, so we changed it on the spot to a Korean village at the foot of Changbai Mountain.

Brother Jin of Xuecheng International is a longtime friend of Haowen. On the day of our gathering, he cooked for us himself, giving us a taste of how huge the portions of Northeastern dishes are. I must mention that earlier I said I came to the Northeast wearing only thin stockings. Fortunately, Brother Jin's place offered free rental of outdoor clothing, so I didn't turn into an ice pop in the Northeast.

Travelogue Table of Contents:

1. Phoenix Mountain: Happy Fireworks

2. Fairyland Phoenix Summit

3. The Famous Snow Village

4. For Snow Play, Come to Big Snow Valley

5. Favorite: Hengdaohezi Town

6. Frozen Jingpo Lake

7. A Glimpse of Changbai Mountain Heavenly Lake

8. Rime Island Sunrise

9. Eating Ice Cream on Central Street

Let's get into the main text!

Phoenix Mountain Grand Canyon

To avoid the morning rush, we agreed to depart at 6:30 a.m. Just arrived in the distant Northeast, not yet accustomed to the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors, we set off on the road.

The whole morning, we went from Harbin through Wuchang—the place where the often-seen Wuchang rice is produced—to the Phoenix Mountain Forest Park in Heilongjiang. I write the full name because if you search for "Phoenix Mountain" on Baidu, you'll get four or five results.

This is the Phoenix Mountain of Shanhetun Forestry Bureau in Heilongjiang Province. It is famous for the UFO incident, but what I want to talk about is its scenic beauty, indescribable. We arrived at the foot of Phoenix Mountain around noon. After lunch at a farmhouse, we prepared to head to the Grand Canyon.

On the first day in the Northeast, I learned that it starts getting dark around 3:30 p.m.—such long nights. Light snow began to fall, but since it was about to get dark, we decided to do a short hike through the Phoenix Mountain Grand Canyon.

The canyon is five kilometers long. Due to time, we didn't finish it all, but we made a loop without backtracking—first uphill, then downhill—to experience the canyon's elevation changes. The unfrozen river in the Grand Canyon still flowed gently despite the temperature. The scenic area management was quite good. We were the last group to enter; when it was about to get dark, the staff accompanied us out of the scenic area, calling out warnings and guiding the way.

You can see from our hike that the mountain terrain is undulating, and we were constantly climbing up and down stairs. Hiking and climbing in the snow season is a different experience.

Phoenix Mountain Folk Village

When we returned to the foot of the mountain, we visited the Phoenix Mountain Folk Village. The entire village recreates the production and living culture of the Northeast forestry area from the 1950s and 1960s. As I write this, I recall the soy milk from the village tofu shop—freshly ground soybean juice with a little sugar—delicious.

A whole stretch of mud-plastered houses and large chimneys, with strings of corn and chili peppers hanging on doors and walls. I strolled casually through the village, and almost every house was open for visitors to familiarize themselves with the interior decoration of that era. Some rooms displayed northeastern "paper-cut window flowers," a large house collected old objects of forestry production and life as a forestry living museum, there was a pure brewing workshop, and an area specifically showcasing northeastern wedding customs...

"Heaven King covers the Earth Tiger"—what's the next line? "Precious Pagoda suppresses the River Demon," oh no, it's "Chicken stewed with mushrooms." Sometimes the original version won't let you through the gate, but saying "Chicken stewed with mushrooms" will. Many such passwords—I only learned them when I came to the Northeast. Northeasterners are born comedians. Apart from that, just listening to their tone is amusing. During this week in the Northeast, I was cheerful every day.

When we were about to leave Phoenix Mountain the next day, we couldn't help but visit the folk village again to taste frozen pears and frozen persimmons in the snow, have another cup of freshly ground soy milk, and watch others playing in the snow—snow tubes, hand-pressed rail cars, and so on.

After nightfall, we had a hearty meal at the inn. That day on the road, Brother Jin had bought some fireworks, saying he wanted to make Phoenix Mountain lively. We played with light painting and sparklers, setting off fireworks outdoors at minus twenty-something degrees—what a thrill.

The main peak of Phoenix Mountain is 1,690 meters above sea level, the highest peak in Heilongjiang. Today we planned to go up to the Sky Garden on the summit. We took the scenic area shuttle to the visitor center on the mountainside. Instead of hiking to the top, we chose to ride the super cool snowmobiles for fun.

Riding the snowmobile was thrilling—holding tightly to the handles on both sides, enjoying the speed and excitement of the driver as we sped along the mountain paths. We quickly reached the summit. When riding the snowmobile, remember to secure your camera equipment and phone properly; if there's a zipper, zip it up.

Yesterday's Grand Canyon gave me about three stars of expectation, but today's Phoenix Summit was a solid five stars—absolutely stunning. So beautiful! This vast alpine snowfield was covered in snow on the green pines, different from rime—this was snow-covered pines. Even with direct sunlight, the temperature was too low for much melting. We enjoyed a grand snow banquet on Phoenix Summit.

We saw birch and pine trees, ice and snow hanging on them, and the brilliant blue sky. The different growth directions of the two types of branches enriched the scene—straight and curved complementing each other.

Arriving at Phoenix Summit was like entering a dreamlike secret realm. Besides us, there was no one else—a quiet world. What great luck to encounter such widespread snow-covered pines, the whole mountain adorned in silver, jade trees and icy blossoms—speechless in describing its beauty, I just wanted to roll in the snow and frolic.

This was the second day of the Northeast itinerary, but Phoenix Summit had already fulfilled my yearning for the Northeast—pure white snow, like a fairy tale world. Unfortunately, it was too cold! I couldn't wear a pretty dress for a nice photo. In the Northeast, a down jacket and pants are indeed the most effective.

After playing at the summit, we continued on snowmobiles to the Phoenix Mountain Film and Television City. Later, while descending, we tried a horse-drawn sleigh ride—quite fun.

Tips: Phoenix Mountain ticket 110 yuan. We stayed at Hongsonglin Inn, one of the few inns open in Phoenix Mountain during winter; they provide meals and accommodation. It's about 8 km from the inn to the scenic area entrance. The Phoenix Mountain scenic area has two zones: the Grand Canyon and the Sky Garden/Film Base. Each takes 3-4 hours to visit. It's better to arrange two days. If you're lucky like me, you'll encounter such magnificent scenery.

I must say, the Snow Village was definitely my top destination in the Northeast. No other place in China dares to call itself that. Due to its special geographical location, the Snow Village gets more snowfall than other places, with a long snow season, frequent snowfall, and excellent snow quality—truly the best in China. When I woke up on the second morning, it was snowing in the Snow Village. The delicate six-petal snowflakes were adorable. I heard that snowflakes in the Snow Village can have up to twelve petals.

Unfortunately, in recent years, many people have criticized the Snow Village, making me hesitant to go. But because of that fear, I missed the chance to see the original Snow Village with its all-Mukeleng log cabins. Meeting the Snow Village this time, although I was still overwhelmed by the crowds and the snow was really scarce since we came early—a bit disappointing—I finally saw the Snow Village of my dreams. Xiaoyao told me that tonight there were less than 10,000 people; when there are 20,000, the main street is as crowded as a subway.

Generally, after December 20th, the snow in the Snow Village starts to increase. If you want to see the most beautiful Snow Village, you must bear the crowdedness, which is also the case for all famous scenic spots during holidays.

Originally, the Snow Village was just a stop along the Yaxue Highway, but after it became popular, it was cordoned off into a scenic area. So private cars cannot enter the Snow Village; they must park in the outside lot, and you take a shuttle for about 5-10 minutes to Xueyun Street. If you stay inside the Snow Village, you have to carry your luggage away from your car.

If you see a car entering the Snow Village, don't be surprised; it's just passing through and must leave within 15 minutes, without stopping to pick up or drop off passengers. The Snow Village is small—you can walk through it in an hour or two, depending on your mood and energy.

The photos I took were from the observation boardwalk in the Snow Village, located behind Xueyun Street. There are signs along the way; it's included in the ticket. The wooden boardwalk is about ten to twenty meters higher than the houses, offering a beautiful view of the village.

I heard the most beautiful snow mushrooms are inside Dream Home, a separately ticketed attraction. Besides Xueyun Street, you can also walk to the giant stone inscribed with "China Snow Village". At night, there's disco!!! Yes, real disco—a thousand people dancing wildly. For someone like me not into parties, I quickly returned to our warm heated kang (brick bed).

Because I was with a tour group, I didn't really experience whether the Snow Village was a rip-off. The super warm kang inside was already booked by Brother Jin. Meals were clearly priced. For example: chicken stewed with mushrooms 168 yuan, seaweed egg soup 18 yuan, sauerkraut stewed with vermicelli 58 yuan... These prices in a scenic area are okay. The locals sharpen their knives all year to fleece you in these two months, but you have to visit the Snow Village in winter.

But note: most hotels in the Snow Village don't provide toiletries, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower gel, shampoo, towels, and bath towels—not even tissues! A pack of tissues at the inn costs 5 yuan, a towel from the small shop at the entrance costs 25 yuan. Tonight we stayed in a large kang room with a private bathroom, four girls to a room. When there are many girls, it's a chatterbox—fun.

The next morning, the world outside was pure and icy, full of snow-covered eaves. The sky was just light, and many people tried to make the "pour boiling water into ice" effect. Under the drone's view of sunrise and morning glow, the Snow Village was beautiful. Reluctantly, we drove through the Snow Village to our next destination.

Snow Village Tips: Ticket: 115 yuan/person + 5 yuan for shuttle. Parking: at the ticket office parking lot; you must take the scenic shuttle to enter. Accommodation: This time we stayed at Snow Village's Xuezhi·Xiaozhu, a 3.2-meter kang for four with a private bathroom. It can be booked online for about 800 yuan. I was with the Xuecheng International Outdoor Club, so the eight-day trip was all-inclusive.

Big Snow Valley in the Snow Village is where some outdoor sets from the first season of "Where Are We Going, Dad?" were built. The snow cover here is no less than the Snow Village, and the key is that there are many activities, all clearly priced so you won't be cheated.

Big Snow Valley is about 20 km from "China Snow Village". You reach it via the Yaxue Highway. Coming to the Northeast, besides seeing snow and skiing, you definitely want to play in the snow. Big Snow Valley is a great choice, very close to the Snow Village, often included in the same itinerary.

First, we took the "Xuelong" (Snow Dragon) vehicle up to Rime Peak to see the highest peak in Heilongjiang—Datuodingzi. At the summit, there was fog, but not much rime. After a short walk, it was freezing, so we soon descended by snowmobile to the filming location of "Where Are We Going, Dad?".

The folk village is a small Northeastern-style village left after the show. In the village, we encountered silly roe deer, elk, and there were grilled skewers, candied hawthorns, and boiled corn. We could grab a snack and warm up inside a house.

Beyond the village is a carnival playground with snow spins, snow tubes, and snow sleds. We tried the snow spin—sitting on tires rotating clockwise—a fun amusement park feel. Next to it was a mock bandit lair, revisiting the couplet: "Heaven King covers the Earth Tiger"—uh, "Chicken stewed with mushrooms!"

When the activity ended, we took the "snow dragon"—a train of tires pulled by a vehicle—down the mountain, screaming all the way. In Northeast tourism, there will inevitably be extra charges, so you need to choose your tour group carefully.

Big Snow Valley Tips: Open hours: 11:00-17:00. Ticket: 168 yuan, including Snow Folk Village, reindeer culture, etc. But the main attractions are the activities: snowmobile 280 yuan, snow off-road vehicle 180 yuan, Xuelong (snow dragon) 280 yuan (super cool, like a tank), snow dragon slide 98 yuan (sitting on tires to slide down), and so on.

Half-asleep in the car, I heard Old Sun say that the place we were going to was once a railway town. Old Sun was our photography instructor for this trip, responsible for finding the best shooting spots. So the originally planned ski trip to Yabuli was changed to Hengdaohezi Town.

Brother Xiao Jiang drove like the wind on the highway, but we arrived in Hengdaohezi after the sun had set, only dusk remaining. Blame it on the early dusk in the Northeast! But when we got out of the car and entered this Russian town, everyone was delighted!

Truly, this was my favorite place on the entire Northeast trip! Hengdaohezi Town is located in Hailin City, Heilongjiang Province. It was a fortress on the Chinese Eastern Railway and a must-pass on the way from Harbin to Mudanjiang. My god, without understanding the Chinese Eastern Railway, you can't really know the Northeast.

In the Northeast, there is a railway shaped like a "T". It enters from Manzhouli, crosses Heilongjiang through Mudanjiang to Suifenhe, and in Harbin turns south through Changchun and Shenyang to Lüshun—this is the famous Chinese Eastern Railway. If you travel along this railway, you'll find many beautiful train stations.

Today we came to this century-old town of Hengdaohezi. During the Tsarist Russian and Japanese puppet periods, Hengdaohezi was a military fortress in the Northeast. Today, about 200 Russian-style buildings remain. Attracted by these Russian architectural styles, we couldn't move—single-story Mukeleng log cabins, two-story Russian stone houses with yellow and white brickwork, and a hundred years of history—"beautiful" is an understatement.

Hengdaohezi's most famous feature is the largest fan-shaped locomotive depot from the Chinese Eastern Railway. The architectural shape is stunning—when a drone flies over, it looks like an accordion being pulled open. Our itinerary gave too little time to Hengdaohezi; I didn't even get close to the depot. It was used for nearly a century, only retiring in the 1990s.

About 30 meters from the depot, there is a turntable at the axis of the fan, used to change the direction of locomotives—the depot's main function. Old things eventually become obsolete. In the 1990s, steam locomotives mostly stopped running, and the unique fan-shaped depot of Hengdaohezi also drew to a close.

Sometimes we must thank the iron and steel framework that allows us, a hundred years later, to still see century-old buildings. If time permitted, I would have liked to approach it, get closer. The Chinese Eastern Railway Transport Museum is now inside the fan-shaped depot. Unfortunately, we visited twice over two consecutive days and found it closed. I believe I will come again one day, just to get a little closer to it.

After visiting the Russian town, we drove about half an hour to Hailin City. Coincidentally, three of the five staff members in our car were from Hailin, so they went home, while we southern friends went to experience the northeastern bathhouse body scrubbing culture—so comfortable!

At noon, we had a full fish feast by Jingpo Lake. Jingpo Lake is the largest mountain barrier lake in China and the second largest in the world, stretching 45 kilometers from south to north. After a long drive on the highway, we finally reached the shooting spot Old Sun wanted to show us.

Because it was frozen in winter, we didn't go to the main Jingpo Lake scenic area, so we missed the famous Diaoshuilou Waterfall. I heard it was frozen solid, just like the waterfall we saw at Changbai Mountain—all ice. Normally, Jingpo Lake has three main attractions: the main Diaoshuilou Waterfall, Jingpo Gorge, and the underground forest in the volcanic crater.

Our shooting spot was on the south lake of Jingpo, not far from the highway. Seeing Jingpo Lake for the first time, I truly exclaimed, "The northern scenery, thousands of miles frozen"—this is exactly the scene!

If you come to Jingpo Lake in winter and want to play properly, don't miss the winter fishing. We planned to wait for a sunset by the lake—how romantic. With good friends by my side, I didn't feel the cold of the frozen weather, watching the sun slowly set.

The ice layer on Jingpo Lake should be very thick. Initially, I was scared to walk on it, but Xiaoyao said it was safe, even cars could drive on it. Solid ice, transparent and crystal clear ice, complex ice cracks, round bubble ice—all incredibly beautiful. Under the afterglow of the sun, they appeared golden. I believe at noon, they would be as beautiful as blue ice.

My eagerness to see Changbai Mountain's Heavenly Lake was unstoppable. Seeing it on the first ascent was such luck. I have to thank Xiaoyao for explaining things throughout the drive; the time spent in the car during Northeast trips is quite long. Having a knowledgeable local in the car, you learn a lot. After all, many attractions I hadn't researched. Xiaoyao acted as our guide, helping us understand some things about the Northeast.

Changbai Mountain, as the boundary mountain between China and North Korea, is one of China's Ten Famous Mountains and is also a sacred mountain for North Korea. It has a very high status, naturally increasing my expectations.

(Repeated paragraph omitted for brevity but kept in translation.)

Changbai Mountain, as the boundary mountain between China and North Korea, is one of China's Ten Famous Mountains and is also a sacred mountain for North Korea. It has a very high status, naturally increasing my expectations.

As night fell, our car stopped in Erdaobaihe Town, a town at the foot of Changbai Mountain with a very nice name. The most famous thing in this town is probably the Beauty Pines (美人松). Our happy mission tonight: besides eating local Yanbian BBQ, definitely soak in hot springs—both indoor and outdoor.

The next morning, we set off for the Changbai Mountain scenic area. Changbai Mountain is divided into the south, west, and north slopes. We chose to enter from the north slope. The weather looked good; Xiaoyao and Old Sun thought we could see the Heavenly Lake, though the ticket board said it was subject to closure at any time.

It is said that the Heavenly Lake is not easy to see; seeing it on your first visit is extremely lucky. The north slope scenic area has several spots: Underground Forest, Green Abyss Pool, Hot Spring Group, Changbai Mountain Waterfall, and the Heavenly Lake. We decided to first take the sightseeing bus to the off-road vehicle transfer center, because the altitude of the Heavenly Lake rises sharply and the weather is unpredictable. If we can catch a glimpse of the Heavenly Lake, we must go immediately; the other spots can wait.