{"id":8532,"date":"2013-02-17T10:25:27","date_gmt":"2013-02-17T14:25:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=8532"},"modified":"2013-02-17T10:25:28","modified_gmt":"2013-02-17T14:25:28","slug":"harbin-ice-and-snow-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/harbin-ice-and-snow-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Harbin Ice and Snow Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"
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See why they call it the Ice City?<\/p><\/div>\n

In the nearly four years that I’ve been living in China, there’s only one place that I’ve visited on three separate occasions – Harbin<\/strong> (\u54c8\u5c14\u6ee8 – h\u0101 \u011br b\u012bn), the capital city of northeast China’s Heilongjiang province<\/strong> (\u9ed1\u9f99\u6c5f\u7701 – h\u0113i l\u00f3ng ji\u0101ng sh\u011bng). Originally financed by the Russian Empire at the end of the 19th century, it later became the largest Russian enclave after the Soviet Union when the city was flooded with Russian white\u00a0\u00e9migr\u00e9s who were fleeing war and revolution. While you won’t find many Harbin Russians living in the city today, the Russian influence is still everywhere you look – in the architecture, in the shops, and in the restaurants. On our most recent visit there, the lasting Russian legacy was very apparent as we took a stroll along the riverside Stalin<\/strong> (yes, that Stalin) Park<\/strong> (\u65af\u5927\u6797\u516c\u56ed – s\u012b d\u00e0 l\u00edn g\u014dng yu\u00e1n). Stopping for a quick workout in one of the many free public exercise parks, we chatted with an elderly Chinese man who spoke Russian just as well as he spoke Mandarin. By the way, if you’re seeking out the best environment to study standard Mandarin, many people suggest Harbin. That is, of course, if you can look past the bitterly cold winters that have also earned Harbin the nickname of “Ice City<\/strong>” (\u51b0\u57ce – b\u012bng ch\u00e9ng).<\/p>\n

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Statue and ice sculpture alongside Stalin Park.<\/p><\/div>\n

With an average temperature of\u00a0\u221216.8 \u00b0C\u00a0(1.8\u00a0\u00b0F) during winter, it should come as no surprise that Harbin is well-known for its ice and snow related activities. Most notably, the city hosts an annual Ice and Snow Festival<\/strong> (\u51b0\u96ea\u8282 – b\u012bng xu\u011b ji\u00e9). This is one of the Top 5 largest festivals of its kind on Earth, and it attracts thousands of tourists who brave the cold to take in the sights. If you hope plan or hope to visit Harbin during the festival at some point, here are some tips:<\/p>\n

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Winter on the Songhua River.<\/p><\/div>\n

Duration<\/h3>\n

Although the Ice and Snow Festival doesn’t officially kick off until around January 5th, you can still visit the parks and see plenty of sculptures beginning around Christmas Eve. By late January, most of the works are completed, so if you want to watch the artists at work it’s best to head there a week or two earlier. Not surprisingly, it becomes a madhouse during the Spring Festival; unless that’s your only option, it’s best to come at another time. At the end of February, the sculptures begin to melt and the festival comes to a close.<\/p>\n

Places to Visit for the Festival<\/h3>\n

While you’ll find small ice lanterns scattered around town, especially along the pedestrian only Central Avenue<\/strong> (\u4e2d\u592e\u5927\u8857 – \u00a0zh\u014dng y\u0101ng d\u00e0 ji\u0113), you need to head into one of the three main parks to really get the full experience. Here are your options:<\/p>\n

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North end of the Central Avenue.<\/p><\/div>\n