Revisiting Harbin, the "Ice City"

I first visited Harbin during the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2008.

In September 2019, I returned here with my wife and daughter.

The Ice City — the highest-latitude city I have ever been to. Whenever I hear the words "Ice City", my first thought is never "Harbin Ice and Snow World", but "Bingcheng Chuanba" (Ice City Skewer Bar).

On the afternoon of September 2, our family arrived in Harbin by high-speed rail, then took a taxi to the booked Baxinas Hotel, located between Central Street and Sophia Square. The hotel retains the European architectural style from the Tsarist Russian era, and stepping inside, one can clearly feel a sense of historical depth. A lady at the front desk enthusiastically and professionally introduced us to Harbin's history, attractions, and cuisine without any charge, making us silently give her a thumbs up.

My wife, tired from the journey, chose to rest at the hotel. My daughter and I took a taxi to one of Harbin's landmarks — the Dragon Tower. When I came in 2008, I didn't visit the Dragon Tower mainly because I was short on money. This time, thanks to my daughter, I had the honor of ascending to the top of the Dragon Tower. My daughter used the telescope on the 190-meter outdoor observation deck to overlook both sides of the Songhua River. As tourists, we could go up to the 206-meter Blessing Hall, where my daughter left her blessings for the whole family.

Coming down from the Dragon Tower, we hurried to Gogol Street. According to the plan, we visited St. Alexeyev Church and Gogol Bookstore from south to north, passed through Children's Park, and continued north to the Church of the Protection of the Mother of God. Although we are not believers, the Russian-style churches are well worth admiring.

In the evening, after searching online, my wife and I decided to meet at Golden Time Western Restaurant to taste authentic Russian cuisine. During the meal, we had the opportunity to meet the Russian chef. We said "Hào lā shǎo" (good) to his dishes, and the chef enthusiastically took photos with us and gave my daughter a large bar of chocolate.

Afterwards, the three of us walked back to the hotel along Central Street.

The second day was packed with activities. First, we went to the "Harbin Flood Control Memorial Square" on the banks of the Songhua River, starting from there and walking westward along the riverbank to the boarding point of the Songhua River Cableway. Last time I went to Sun Island, I also took the cableway. This time, I crossed the Songhua River with my daughter again. For a child, the Russian Town on the island is essentially Sun Island. The exotic atmosphere there is indeed novel. The entire Sun Island is embraced by green shade, but it seems not that interesting for a child.

At noon, we took an electric cart to the "Sun Stone" in the west and planned to take a taxi from there to our next stop, the "Siberian Tiger Park". There were many minibuses in front of the Sun Stone heading to the Siberian Tiger Park, but they only departed when full. Since there weren't many tourists at that time, we decided not to waste time and took a taxi to the "Siberian Tiger Park".

The "Siberian Tiger Park" should be considered a unique tourist attraction in Harbin. Besides the caged lions and tigers, the most appealing part is taking a vehicle into the free-range area of lions and tigers, where you can also buy a small bucket of meat strips for 100 yuan to feed them. My daughter and I certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity and hand-fed the Siberian tigers and African lions. When these kings of beasts were only a net away from me, I truly felt small and powerless, and I firmly believed that "Wu Song fights the tiger" is just a story.

At the entrance of the Siberian Tiger Park, there were also scheduled circus performances. We happened to catch the show just as we were leaving, so we took our daughter to watch it. Personally, I am somewhat averse to circus performances, but this time I just wanted my child to see it and get a glimpse.

Leaving the Siberian Tiger Park, we continued to Laodaowai, the legendary "place of storms" in Harbin. Now it has been renovated into the "Laodaowai Chinese Baroque Historical and Cultural District". Since it is reconstructed, it wasn't very interesting, but the small two-story buildings that hadn't been demolished around the area were quite charming to explore. Of course, the main reason for coming here was the "specialty food": Zhang Bao Pu (Zhang's Bun Shop) — a legendary century-old shop. The most distinctive item is the "rib bun", where each bun actually contains a small piece of rib. Eating it feels very fun: bite the bun, spit out a bone. Why not remove the bone when making the filling?

Zhang Fei Braised Meat — perhaps as Chinese, we instinctively misunderstood the name; it seems to have nothing to do with "Zhang Fei" from the Three Kingdoms. The braised meat looks like a thicker version of kou rou (steamed pork belly), and tastes... like home-style braised pork.

Overall, these two specialty foods were not bad, but not amazing either, far less appetizing than barbecue.

In the evening, our family went for a stroll on Central Street again. The European-style buildings on both sides and the stone-paved road beneath our feet, bearing the marks of time, easily gave a feeling of traveling through time. Our family slowly walked through the crowd, savoring the frozen moments of happiness.

On the third morning, we arrived at the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum right at opening time. Whenever I visit a place, I like to go to the local museum because it is a microcosm and essence of the area. Traces of current social and cultural characteristics can be found there, and that is one of my great joys in every trip.

Leaving the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum, we drove to the last stop of this trip: the iconic bridge that once appeared on the show "Go Fighting" — the Harbin Zhongdong Railway Bridge. Standing at the bridgehead and looking toward the opposite bank, it felt as if a train of time was passing through. The distant whistle, like the background music of an era, opened and closed scenes amidst the hazy mist.

A generation will eventually grow old, but there are always those who are still young!