Starting from Xiangxi, Taking Kids to Harbin, Changbai Mountain, Yanji, Changchun, and Xianghai for a 20°C Summer

Summer vacation started, and we planned to take our kid on a trip. The family debated whether to go to neighboring Guizhou or the trending Xinjiang, but in the end, the kid who loves watching "Cha Ah Er Zhong" (a Chinese animated series) made the decision—let's go to Changchun.

DAY 1: Flew from Tongren Fenghuang Airport to Harbin, with a layover at Zhengzhou Xinzheng Airport. Due to Typhoon Doksuri, the flight was delayed by 4 hours, and we didn't arrive at Harbin Airport until 10:30 PM. We stayed at the Maomao Anime Boutique Hotel, which has an excellent location—just a few hundred meters from Central Street and Daoli Market. There is a metro station right outside the hotel; it's 3 stops to Sun Island and 1 stop to the train station. The hotel lobby has a 24-hour convenience store and a Qiulin chain store (where you can have large Russian bread and red sausages shipped via courier). The kid loved the cat (gentle and pet-friendly) on the first floor.

DAY 2: Went to Daoli Market for a food crawl, combining breakfast and lunch. The freshly brewed kvass tasted better than store-bought—less carbonation and a stronger malt flavor. Across the street from Daoli Market is Saint Sophia Cathedral. After visiting the cathedral, we went to the Middle East Railway Impressions Museum. About a hundred steps from the rooftop of the museum is the Songhua River Railway Bridge. It was hot in the afternoon, so we returned to the hotel to rest. In the evening, we strolled along Central Street and had dinner. The area was packed with tourists. Visiting the exhibition hall of Harbin Institute of Technology filled us with national pride.

DAY 3: Visited the Polarland & Aquarium on Sun Island. For the beluga and dolphin shows, you need to save seats an hour in advance. It is said that the beluga show "Ocean Heart" here is a world first and can't be seen elsewhere—it was spectacular. The water dance show at the aquarium was also fantastic. In the evening, we went to Xiangfang Night Market and the trendy Shida Night Market. Both markets had similar food options (Modier ice cream, grilled fertilized eggs, grilled cold noodles, quick-fried tripe, etc.). Xiangfang Night Market was smaller and less crowded. Shida Night Market, as a trendy spot, was extremely crowded. However, stalls started packing up around 10:30 PM (unlike Changsha, where night markets really get going at 11 PM).

DAY 4: Harbin to Changbai Mountain. We took the high-speed train from a station nicknamed "Hogwarts Station - Harbin Branch." Upon arriving at Changbai Mountain station, we took a taxi to Wanda Yuhua Hotel. The hotel is inside Wanda Resort, which has small woods, fast-food restaurants, photo-shoot services, etc., and you can rent electric scooters via QR code to get around the resort.

DAY 5: Changbai Mountain South Slope - China-North Korea Border. Since I had visited the North Slope 17 years ago, this time I brought the kid to the South Slope, which I hadn't seen before. The South Slope limits daily visitors. Worried we wouldn't get tickets, I booked a small private tour (just our family) for "Changbai Mountain South Slope - China-North Korea Border Day Trip" through a travel agent on a certain platform, with a guide named Squad Leader Liu. It was quite proper—we even signed a travel contract. The car picked us up at the hotel early (the drive from Wanda Resort to the South Slope entrance takes about 1.5 hours). The driver/guide Xiao Liu was very talkative. At the South Slope entrance, we scanned our IDs and took the resort shuttle to Heaven Lake (the South Slope is along the border). There was no cell signal at Heaven Lake, and you needed cash to buy things—best to prepare some. If you bring an empty water bottle, you can fill it at Yuebl Shuang Waterfall on the way down. After exiting the scenic area, Xiao Liu was waiting in the parking lot. We went to Changbai Korean Autonomous County and saw North Korea across the Yalu River. Back at Wanda Resort, we used the complimentary cable car ride included with the hotel to see the endless plains (Xiangxi is all mountains, so we never see such flatlands). In the evening, we took the kid to see fireflies (we expected to see them outdoors, but it was actually in a small room where fireflies were kept in bottles hanging from the ceiling).

DAY 6: There is no direct high-speed train from Changbai Mountain to Yanji; you have to transfer in Changchun, so we simply chartered a car from Squad Leader Liu. The same driver Xiao Liu picked us up at the hotel entrance in the same car (which had been cleaned). After about 3 hours, we arrived in Yanji and were dropped off at our booked Lanxi Hotel (the hotel's breakfast seaweed rice rolls were delicious, and the staff were warm). Due to Typhoon Khanun, it kept raining, and the temperature was only 17°C. At noon, we walked to Jindalai for cold noodles (a local classmate took me here 17 years ago). The environment had changed, but the taste remained the same. It was too cold, so we didn't go to the Folk Custom Park for photos. In the evening, we walked to Lee Hae-wook's Soup House (recommended by Baek Jong-won) for soup and rice. The blood sausage (sundae) tasted the same as Xiangxi's guanba—the difference is that in Yanji they steam it and dip it in sauce, while in Xiangxi they fry it after steaming and then dip it in chili sauce.

DAY 7: Went to the popular Water Market at 6 AM, but due to Typhoon Khanun, it was closed for the day. We went to Xishichang (Western Market) instead, but since it was early, only a few vendors had opened. Later, we went to Dongjin Morning Market, recommended by a taxi driver—it was quite lively. In the afternoon, we took the high-speed train to Changchun. From 7 to 9:30 PM, we watched a crosstalk performance at the Changchun branch of Deyun She—it was brilliant with talking, imitating, teasing, and singing.

DAY 8: In the morning, we visited the Puppet Emperor's Palace. I had seen it 17 years ago, but it was too crowded, so I stepped out and waited while the rest of the family explored. We had lunch at Wanda Mall (coincidentally, the cast of "Creation of the Gods" was doing a roadshow at the cinema upstairs). Across from Wanda is "There Is a Mountain" shopping area, which was very crowded, so we didn't go in. In the afternoon, we walked from Wanda to the Changchun Film Studio Museum. We hired a guide and listened to stories of light and shadow.

DAY 9: Rented a car and drove to Baicheng. The expressway was very straight (back home we have many tunnels, bridges, and curves). Not long after leaving Changchun, there were no cars ahead or behind. We passed by the Chagan Lake service area, but there was no store. After 4 hours, we arrived at Zuihua Se Hotel in Baicheng (great value: close to the expressway, friendly staff, generous portions and affordable delicious food at the restaurant, a private orchard where you can pick crabapples and plums, and a laundry room with self-service washers and dryers).

DAY 10: Took a provincial road to Xianghai Wetland Park (the setting of the song "A True Story"). The road surface was rough, but there was little traffic and it was straight. 17 years ago, Xianghai was full of tourists, but now there are very few. The ticket seller was surprised we came from the south. Because there are so few visitors, almost no one from the south comes. The kid got up close to red-crowned cranes and was very happy.

DAY 11: Drove back to Changchun Railway Station to return the rental car, then took the train back to Xiangxi (the kid experienced sleeping in a sleeper). Train K2288 departs from Changchun, passes through Xiangxi, Guiyang, and finally arrives in Kunming.