This is without a doubt one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been. It is also without a doubt the coldest place I’ve ever been. Despite the Arctic temperatures that Harbin can reach, the winter is certainly the best time of the year to visit Harbin. Trust me it will be well worth the trip despite anything you hear to the contrary.
When should you go?
A trip in the winter months around the Chinese New Year is unquestionably the best time to take a trip to Harbin. Around January or February is the best time, but check what day and month the Chinese New Year falls on because that is when this city is at the height of its beauty. All of the snow and ice sculptures are made leading up to the Chinese New Year. After the Chinese New Year they slowly start taking these scupltures down. There is about a month and a half where I would highly recommend going to Harbin, either within 3 weeks before Chinese New Year or within 3 weeks after Chinese New Year.
The Local Cuisine
One thing that you should try while in Harbin is the Spring Wrap. Do not get this confused with Spring Rolls, they are two completely different things. It more closely resembles a soft taco, but the add-ins are different. Be sure to give it a try while in Harbin, they are known for this as one of their specialties.
A Friendly Reminder:
Around the January/February time in Harbin you very well may experience some of the most bitter cold temperatures that you’ve ever experienced. Do remember to bring your thickest jacket, thermals, wool socks, a face warmer, hat, snow pants, snow gloves and anything else you can think of to keep you warm in a frozen tundra environment. Hand warmers (those little bag things that when moved from one hand to another) will also be an invaluable asset.
When outside in Harbin it is not advisable to stay out for an extended period of time. Do not plan to spend all day outside. Go out for anywhere from 2-4 hours at a time and then find somewhere warm to recuperate (like a restaurant or a pub) before heading out again. If you are not familiar with how your body does in cold temperatures, then do not ignore or try to tough it out. That is how people get frost bite and hypothermia. The extremities (toes and fingers) will be the first parts of your body to feel either very cold or numb. Once you feel some of your gross motor skills are hindered, it is best to go inside and warm up for a bit. If you are well acquainted with cold weather, then you will know your body’s limits and be quite familiar with them.
Also, the cold weather will affect your temperament. So, you may find yourself being very easily agitated. This is very likely due to the frigid temperature that surrounds you. Try to keep that in mind before losing your temper at someone unnecessarily.
On a similar subject the cold weather may hinder the use of your cell phone. This is for a couple of reasons, firstly, because most cell phones nowadays are smart phones with touchscreens. With gloves on you may find yourself removing your gloves to use your phone or take pictures. This will make you hands colder faster. Or the cold temperature could wreck havoc on your phone’s battery. Just like the battery on your phone overheating when in hot climates the battery of a phone can also freeze, causing it to turn off or limiting functionality. Just keep that in mind if you’re feeling irritable from your hands feeling cold and your phone not working.
In addition there is something that may happen to you while in Harbin (if the temperature is cold enough). When outside in a very cold environment is is highly recommended to wear a mask to keep your face warm. However, once you wear a mask and exhale through your mouth, your breath will head upwards. What happens next is that the condensation of your breath turns from an air to a solid in the matter of seconds and will freeze on your eyelashes. This will result in the forming of little icicles on your eyelashes. It’s not a big deal nor does it affect you that much I just thought it would be interesting to know.
中央大街 （Zhōng Yāng Dà Jiē）Zhong Yang Street
This is an excellent place to get your steps in for the day. Zhong Yang Street is a walking street with both sides of the street filled with shops and restaurants. In winter there are also snow and ice sculptures all up and down the street. What makes this walking street so unique is the European style architecture of the buildings. If you’re observant you will also notice that some of the street signs are in English, Mandarin and Russian. Zhong Yang Street ends at the bank of the Song Hua River.
There is something interesting that you will see on Zhong Yang Street that you may not see in many other places, which is ice cream being sold. You may be thinking “what’s so special about that?”, well it isn’t being refrigerated or kept in a cooler. Due to the frigid temperatures vendors can sell ice cream straight out of a cardboard box. I would recommend getting some, its a different experience and something that not everyone can say they’ve done before. Also, the ice cream will probably be the warmest thing outside, some people say it actually warms you up a bit. I’m not sure if I believe that but whatever.
The Song Hua River 松花江 （Sōng Huā Jiāng）
There is no way that anyone should miss going to the Song Hua River. This is a very wide river that lies at the end of Zhong Yang Street. Normally, this river serves as a short of divider between the two parts of the city. However, during the winter months this river is so far frozen over that not only could you walk across it, you could even drive a car across it. There are all types of activities to do at the Song Hua River. Such activities include tire sledding, (regular) sledding, ice skating, driving an around a car track (made of snow) in an actual car, taking a dog sled ride or cross the river on foot to reach the other side of the city. It is like a carnival has been set up on the frozen over river and anyone can go either in the daytime or at nighttime. I think it closes at 10 if I’m not mistaken.
International Kev 