Winter Carnivals: Harbin, China vs. St. Paul

One of the things missing in Beijing is snow. I am missing my snowy Minnesota winter where our long driveway is bordered in 2 feet of snow on each side. My heart longs for a winter walk in my Sorel boots and the peacefulness of winter.  Therefore, when colleagues mentioned they were heading for Harbin, China, for the weekend, I jumped at the chance to join them. 

We boarded our Shanghai Airlines flight to Harbin on Saturday morning, bags filled with boots, mittens and those instant hand-warmer pads. I was warned all week: “I know you are from Minnesota, but it is really COLD there.” We accepted the advice and were sufficiently layered as we boarded the 1.5 hour flight. As we began our descent, we were warned again, “Prepare your warm clothing, we are coming into a new very cold climate."

My first surprise was the lack of snow. This city has one of the world’s largest Snow and Ice Festivals. I saw the photos. I expected it to look like Colorado minus the mountains when we landed. Instead, I saw brown tundra. Hmmm. 

Harbin is a city of over 10 million and is very close to Siberia. There is a huge Russian influence in the architecture and the food—largely from the Eastern Asia Rail construction in the early 1900s. The journey from the airport to the hotel was about 45 minutes and we stayed at a small but cute hotel near Central Street.  We hired a tour guide for the day to take us to the Siberian Tiger Park, the Snow Sculpture Park, the Aquarium and the Snow and Ice World for the evening. Our day was planned and action-packed. 

Was it cold? Yes. The temperature hovered around zero with probably a -10 wind chill. But I was perfectly comfortable with my hiking boots with extra socks, a long winter coat and hat/scarf/mittens. The wind was biting, but the sun was shining and it made it feel warmer. For the record, I have felt colder in northern Minnesota and in Moscow in January. 

The second surprise was the cost. Beijing is a big city and we understand the prices: Chinese goods are moderate to inexpensive, but foreign good are high (in comparison to our home countries). So as foreigners, we expect some costs to be higher, but most sites that local Chinese want to see along with us are moderate priced. The average local Chinese worker in Beijing makes about 2,200 RMB/month ($350); keep this in mind as I tell you the costs of our weekend adventure. And, keep in mind, most of the MN Winter Carnival event are FREE.

First stop was the Siberian Tiger Park for 80 RMB (about $12). This was reasonable, although to be fully entertained, you would spend money to buy a chicken (40 RMB), a sheep (800 RMB) or a cow (2800 RMB). This live creature would be thrown to the tigers and you would see it run down and eaten.  According to a news report, last year a worker driving the tourists through the park got his van stuck, went out to get it unstuck and was attacked and eaten in front of the tourists—for no extra charge (except for the emotional/mental damage to the tourists). 

The Snow Sculpture Park (200 RMB or $32) was amazing. It was a city of snow sculptures in a park. The disappointment to me was that it was all manmade snow. Coming from Minnesota, it seemed less authentic to me. They don’t get the precipitation, but they do get the cold, so if they make the snow, it is easy to maintain. However, as we all well know, snow looks dirty and gray if you don’t get the fresh stuff on a regular basis. You will see from the photos, the attention to detail is incredible and I am happy that I had the opportunity to see it.

The Aquarium was optional for us, but we had a free hour, so paid our 120 RMB ($19) each and it was worth every penny. Where else can you see a beluga whale show where they do a dramatic performance with Celine Dion singing the music from Titanic? This will forever remain in my memory.

The grand finale of our day was the 13th Annual Snow and Ice World for 300 RMB ($48). This was a city of ice blocks, sculptures, slides, restaurants, horse rides, winter fox petting (or biting), yak riding, etc. We even got to gong a big Chinese bell and eat fresh dumplings. The moon was full, the sky was clear and it felt like Winter Carnival. It was very cold, but the lights and the party atmosphere warmed it right up.

Should one visit Harbin? Of course! It is an amazing, eclectic place—Russian, Chinese, European and Siberian. The locals even have a way of saying thank you that combines Russian and Chinese. 

Our final 12 hours in Harbin included dinner at an interesting Russian/Chinese place, a good rest at the hotel, a visit to St. Sophia to stay up on our Harbin history and shopping on Central Street before we flew back to Beijing. Das Vadanya, Harbin!