A May Day Visit to Harbin's Sun Island Park in 2021

Sun Island Scenic Area is located on a small island in the middle of the Songhua River, on the north bank of Harbin city, separated from the bustling city center by water.

"In the bright summer sky, how clear it is / The beautiful Sun Island, how enchanting / With fishing rods in hand / With camping tents / We come to Sun Island" – this is a song titled "On Sun Island" written in 1979. Once sung, it quickly became popular across China. Sun Island, located in the Songhua River, became a highly desirable destination, attracting a large number of tourists. However, many of those who visited were greatly disappointed – the island, surrounded by river water, turned out to be a barren land overgrown with weeds, a far cry from what the song described. People complained that the songwriter Wang Liping had written a deceitful song. Wang Liping smiled bitterly and said, "You are luckier than me; at least you have been to Sun Island. I had never been there when I finished writing this song."

Over forty years later, Sun Island has truly become a world-famous scenic area. It has grown to match the imagery in the song, and is even more beautiful than what the song described.

In 2021, after a series of renovations and beautifications, Sun Island reopened with a fresh look to welcome visitors. During the May Day holiday, the island attracted a large number of local tourists and multi-day visitors from other cities.

Sun Island is located on the north bank of the Songhua River. To reach it from the city, you can take a boat or a cable car. The cable car is a distinctive option. The buildings at both ends of the cable car are designed as castles, themselves becoming part of the tourist attraction. The cable car tickets are relatively expensive, and during peak hours, the waiting time can be long – about half an hour to an hour. The cable car castle itself is a small shopping area, allowing visitors to browse and buy products from small shops while queuing. This not only generates business but also alleviates the boredom of waiting – a clever business model.

Upon arriving at Sun Island Scenic Area, the crowd was huge during the May Day holiday. It was the height of spring in Harbin. The scenic area was lush with green willows, red flowers, thriving vegetation, and fragrant aromas, all very pleasant. The island has many lawns, some of which are open for picnics. At noon, many visitors spread picnic mats on the grass, hung hammocks between two trees, and even set up tents, all looking very relaxed. There are also some public hammocks within the park for visitors to use. However, not all lawns allow visitors to sit or play, but there are no clear signs indicating which ones.

We visited most of the scenic spots in the area, such as the Deer Garden, Squirrel Island, Water Pavilion in the Clouds, Ice and Snow Art Museum, Swan Lake, Sun Waterfall, and Sunbathing Terrace.

The Deer Garden is a fenced area not far from the main entrance of Sun Island. You can only enter if you pay 10 yuan to buy deer feed; otherwise, you have to watch from outside the fence. Inside, there are over a dozen deer of two breeds: a paler variety kept in pens, while the ordinary yellow deer roam freely in the area. Most of the deer are young. The area is not large, giving a sense of leisure. On the green meadow, elk, reindeer, and sika deer bask lazily in the sun, enjoying the grass, occasionally looking up at the visitors with gentle, kind eyes. Feeding the deer is quite fun; different deer have different personalities. Since they are free-range, visitors can not only feed them but also interact by petting them. Most deer have their names tagged on their ears. However, each portion of deer feed is very small – one deer can finish almost an entire portion in one mouthful. The feed itself is poor value for money, but it's mandatory to buy it as an entrance ticket to the garden.

Squirrel Island was not open during the May Day holiday, as it was under renovation, which was a pity. Squirrel Island is a relatively large area enclosed by glass curtain walls. Although our survey team could not enter Squirrel Island, we spotted three or four squirrels around the perimeter. It must be an interesting experience if it were open normally. The squirrels in the squirrel house are small and agile, moving quickly, making them difficult to photograph. I hope to have a chance to go inside next time.

The Water Pavilion in the Clouds is an artificial landscape consisting of a pavilion building and an artificial lake, with boat rides available. However, there was a serious pest problem, perhaps due to the transition from spring to summer. The Ice and Snow Art Museum was under renovation and not open during the May Day holiday. According to previous promotions, it is supposed to be visitable even in non-winter seasons. It was a pity not to have it open during the holiday.

Swan Lake, though small, was a charming spot because of the graceful white and black swans swimming elegantly under the blue sky and amidst the green water, with lush flowers and grass. However, the park management was somewhat conservative – most of the swans were kept in enclosures rather than released into the lake.

The Sun Waterfall is an artificial grotto landscape with red rock exteriors. It was under large-scale renovation, which was unfortunate. However, judging by its current state, it should become a quality attraction after completion, likely allowing visitors to walk behind the waterfall.

The Sunbathing Terrace is a spot somewhat far from the main scenic area, suitable mainly for photography, but the route to it deviates significantly from the main area, and there is a lack of connecting paths, which caused some trouble for our team.

The total area of Sun Island is quite large. Although our team spent a whole day on the island, we could not visit every classic photo spot. There are many European-style villa buildings on the island, hidden among lush green trees. There are also many other places to visit, such as the Russian-style Town, the Wetland by the Bund, and the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army Memorial Park. Just hearing their names makes one eager to visit – I hope to check them out next time.

When the poet Ai Qing visited the Songhua River, he was inspired and wrote an impromptu poem: "Perhaps this is a dream / Perhaps this is a hope / Suddenly a sun / Emerges over the Songhua River / In eager anticipation / Dreams and hopes finally blossom / On a piece of land in the river's heart / Filled with sunshine." Congratulations to Sun Island, which has now beautifully blossomed into a flower of dreams and hopes. This article was written during the May Day holiday in 2021. After its subsequent renovations and full opening, it will surely be an even more worthwhile attraction.