Harbin, The Winter Wonderland Beckons Malaysian Tourists

By Nor Hamzeela Hambali HARBIN (Heilongjiang), Feb 26 (Bernama) -- Though the temperature drops to the minus range in the winter, the snow covered Harbin is still a marvel for any visitor. Harbin, a city in the northeast of China, is a winter wonderland, known world over for the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, held annually from Jan 5 to the end of February. The festival has been ongoing since 1963, except for the hiatus during the cultural revolutionary period before resuming in 1985. This year's festival is the 34th edition. Nonetheless, the 'Ice City' is not much known to Malaysians, except for the fact the unique ice figurines andsculptures, ice buildings and the snow highlighted by the media once a year during the festival. Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang Province, attracts many visitors from home and abroad during the winter. Hence efforts are being taken to introduce the wonders of Harbin to its neighbours in Asia, namely South East Asia, China. In January, the National Tourism Administration with the collaboration of China Radio International (CRI) hosted a media visit to Harbin. Eighteen media representatives from South East Asian countries, except Brunei, took part in the one-week winter excursion. WINTER WONDERLAND Malaysians wishing to visit Harbin first need to get to Beijing, and from there choose either a two-and-a half-hour flight to Harbin Airport, or a six-and-a half-hour high-speed train ride to the city. This writer found that though beautiful, Harbin is extremely cold. In January, the temperature ranges between minus 15 to minus 30 degrees Celsius with the winter lasting about six months. Visitors, especially from equatorial region including Malaysia, need to make specific wardrobe preparation to ensure their comfort in such extreme weather cold conditions and prevent hypothermia. However, even if the heaviest down jacket fails to ward off the cold, fear not, for there are rental stores that provide winter jackets of all sizes at affordable daily rates. Also very important are heat patches, for body, arms and feet, sold in various stores and pharmacies in Harbin. These you may also get in Malaysia, so come prepared if you don’t want to be shivering in the streets looking around to buy these patches. SNOW AND ICE FESTIVAL After decking in long johns, thermals, double heavy jackets and heat patches smacked all over, it is time to enjoy Harbin’s star attractions starting with the spectacular snow sculptures at the festival site in Sun City, a small island of 3,800 hectares, on the city's main river, the Songhua River. The snow sculptures are made from compacted snow so that they can maintain their form and bear the weight. The sculptures are quite intricate and have won awards. As the snow sculptures are not lit up at night, they are best seen during the day. The Grand World of Ice and Snow, another venue of the festival, also has ice slides and an ice maze area, with the colourful lights adding up to the bitterly cold night panorama. The ice creations there, that could reach tens of metres high, are feast for the eyes, never failing to amaze visitors with their spectacular illuminations and kaleidoscope of colours. The buildings, towers, and sculptures appear realistic. Many are ice work recreations of iconic buildings around the world. The ice blocks for the sculptures are cut from the Songhua River, which is frozen hard during winter. The ice sculptures are found not just at the festival site but also throughout Harbin. POLAR ATTRACTION Harbin also offers an indoor tourist attraction, the Polarland. This is where one could watch shows performed by a variety of animals from the North and South poles that include penguins and walrus. Perhaps the most exciting of the shows is Polarland’s one of a kind “Heart of the Ocean” show, performed by two Belugas and their trainers. The stars of the show, Mila, female aged 16 and Nicola, male aged 15, live in the 6-meter deep water with temperatures reaching minus13 degrees. For trainers, such environment calls for great perseverance and superb skills. It was indeed amazing to see such collaboration between the belugas and their trainers in a show so beautiful and graceful. SNOW TOWN About 6 and a half hours bus ride from the city of Harbin, another winter wonderland awaits visitors. China Snow Town stands at an elevation of 1,500 meters, covering an area of 500 hectares. It consists of around twenty wooden houses decorated with strings of golden corn and red chili hung to dry. As the Snow Town is situated in the mountains, the drive along the long winding roads there could be very unnerving. The monotonous view of snow covered trees, bright sky and an endless snow-capped land greets travelers along the route. China's Snow Town itself looks almost dreamlike with its snow covered landscape, where at the peak of winter the snow can reach two-metres thick. The icicles hanging down from the eaves of the quaint houses of the farmers create a unique scene of "snow curtains". Among the many things one can do in the town, aside from taking endless photos of course, are dog sledding, skiing, snow tubing, or simply experience the local culture by taking a walk along the houses covered by snow. With a snow fall lasting 7 months (from late October to following May), one has to be aware that however cold the city of Harbin might be the Snow Town is even colder with the temperature during the media tour going down to as low as minus 38 degree Celcius, with the wind factored in. OTHER ATTRACTIONS Formerly colonised by Russia, Harbin’s other attractions include the Russia Street and the St Sophia Cathedral reflecting Harbin's rich history. For Muslim travellers, Harbin Daowai Mosque is also a must see. It is the largest mosque in Heilongjiang province and it receives about 100,000 local and foreign visitors a year. However, the mesmerizing sights of Harbin comes with a price as the visitors have to endure the biting cold that can really be very uncomfortable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SIDE BAR COME PREPARED In order to enjoy the Ice City and its wonders, here are some packing tips for visitors to consider as it can get really cold and visitors could even suffer from hyporthermia if the lack protective clothing and insulation. Getting Ready to Harbin and China Snow Town: Bring enough winter clothing for layering and warm boots to keep yourself from freezing Do not forget to pack a woolen mask to protect your nose and keep off the dust. Keep your camera warm (it tends to freeze!) and bring extra battery packs Bring some cold medicines just in case Wear Sunglasses to avoid snow-blindness and dry eyes Carry a flask of hot tea that comes handy if too cold -- BERNAMA