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MANILA, Philippines — For Filipinos and other Asian travelers who dream of experiencing just what it is like to be in a winter wonderland, there is no need to go all the way to the United States or Canada.
There is now a place closer to home to go to for a similar cold, chilly and fun experience: “Ice City” or Harbin, which is the capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province.
Since Christmas last year, people have been braving the biting cold and flocking to the snow-covered St. Sophia Cathedral, a century-old Byzantine building in Harbin, to see the place and pose for photos. One of them was Nadia Jovita Injilia Riso, a tourist from Indonesia for whom visiting the Cathedral was like a long cherished dream come true. She found it amazing to see such a beautiful Western-style building in China, with people dressed as princes and princesses and, for her, it felt like traveling through a time tunnel.
St. Sophia’s Cathedral, though, was not the only place Riso visited in Harbin, as it was just one of the Ice City’s many historical and winter attractions. She also strolled along Central Street, which is Harbin’s landmark pedestrian area, and enjoyed the melodies of a harpist playing from a balcony while she savored the local ice cream.
"Harbin is famous for its winter tourism and ice sports, but my trip here has been full of unexpected surprises. The melodies, the food and the welcoming locals have left an unforgettable impression," she said.
During her trip, Riso also allotted time to visit the Ice City’s most popular indoor ice-and-snow facility, Harbin Ice-Snow World, which had easily become one of China's most iconic winter attractions. One of its main come-ons is its outdoor Super Ice Slide.
"This is a very interesting place because you can make big ice sculptures into very interesting things," Riso added.
In winter of 2023, the Harbin Ice-Snow World skyrocketed in popularity on Chinese social media, capturing the country's growing passion for winter sports and tourism. It once again gained massive attraction during the winter of 2024. Tourists are still coming in droves to the Harbin Ice-Snow World, the world's largest ice-and-snow theme park, which received a record 62,000 visitors on its opening day.
"Everything is a great experience because Indonesia is a tropical country and we don't have snow," Riso said, adding that the Harbin Ice-Snow World is definitely an attraction she will recommend to friends because of the fun that she had there.
Foreign tourists buying crispy hawthorn on sticks
Another tourist, Moo Swee Ming, who recently visited Harbin as a member of a 16-person tour group from Malaysia, the ice and snow attractions of the Ice City are a must-see.
"For first-time visitors here, it's a must to experience the icy world of snow and ice. It's a rare opportunity," said Moo, who points out that her favorites among the ice and snow tourism features of Heilongjiang Province are "Snow Town" in the city of Mudanjiang and the ice sculptures on Central Street and in Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin.
With its unique charm, Harbin has already seen growing popularity among Chinese travelers.
According to the Harbin immigration inspection station, as of December 19, 2024, Harbin Taiping International Airport has already handled 136,000 inbound and outbound foreign tourists this year, thus recording an increase of 181% year on year.
With the implementation of China's 240-hour visa-free transit policy and the upcoming 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games, the city is poised to attract even more international tourists this winter.
Wang Hongxin, director of Harbin's culture, radio, television and tourism department, said that the city is working to enhance the overall tourist experience by improving dining, accommodation, transportation, shopping and entertainment through the latest technologies.
In other words, Harbin is creating a series of new attractions and landmarks to enable it to offer global tourists a feast of ice-and-snow tourism.
