Southerners flock to NE China's Harbin to experience local life in freezing winter

Harbin, known as China's "ice city" in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, is experiencing a tourism boom as tourists from the country's warmer southern regions flock to the city to experience its famously cold winter.

Data from third-party platforms showed that Harbin's popularity among domestic tourists has surged recently, making it a standout in the country's tourism market this winter.

In addition to ice and snow leisure sites, Harbin's morning, vegetable, and night markets have seen a significant uptick in visitors, predominantly from southern China, where there is little snow in winter.

Visitors from the south, often sporting light-colored down jackets and cute plush hats, are easily recognizable.

Harbin's morning markets, known for their diverse offerings at reasonable prices, have been a hot topic on Chinese social media.

Tourists visit the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Dec. 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

The morning market on Hongzhuan Street in Daoli district was one of the first local morning markets to gain fame online. Long lines form at food stalls serving steaming local breakfast dishes, including egg burgers, sticky steamed buns stuffed with bean paste, stewed pears, and fried brown sugar cakes, as early as 6 a.m.

Some tourists head straight to the market for breakfast when they arrive in the city, even before dropping off their luggage at their hotels.

To capitalize on the influx of visitors, many stallholders who previously sold farm produce have started offering souvenirs and local specialties like Harbin red sausages, earning more than before.

Many of Harbin's vegetable markets are bustling with tourists eager to taste local delicacies. The historic Daoli vegetable market in Daoli district has been crowded with southern tourists this winter.

Tourists, intrigued by the reasonable prices, large servings, and unique combinations of delicacies, as well as the value for money of other products in the market, are tempted to sample everything that looks delicious and stock up on various items.

"Besides snacks, I also bought a lot of clothes here," said a tourist surnamed Yu, who came from Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province.

Tourists visit the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Dec. 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

"I found many types of pickles that I've never tried before, so I bought more than 10 types of them," said a tourist from central China's Hunan Province. She added that she came to the market empty-handed but now could almost not carry all her purchased items.

Tourists' great interest in local specialties has led to surging sales for stall owners in the market.

"We have seen an obvious growth in the number of tourists since November. And our sales in December have grown by nearly 70 percent from the previous month, with about 90 percent of the products being sold to tourists," said Zhang Yu, an executive of a pastry shop in the market.

After exploring local morning markets and visiting vegetable markets during the day, tourists flock to eateries offering buffet-style boxed meals in the evening.

"There are so many kinds of dishes here, and they are all so tasty. Customers can eat as much as they want for just over 10 yuan ($1.42). It's amazing,” said a college student surnamed Chen, expressing his surprise and excitement at the affordability and quality of the boxed meals he enjoyed in Harbin.

Chen noted that not only the eateries recommended online but also those suggested by local taxi drivers and passersby are excellent.

"Citizens of Harbin are so hospitable," he said enthusiastically.

Observing that nearly all the popular places they enjoy are now crowded with tourists eager to catch glimpses of the locals' daily lives, many local citizens have decided to give way to out-of-towners and steer clear of famous tourist attractions and popular sites in an effort to make a good impression on them.

As of Dec. 20, 2023, passenger throughput at Harbin Taiping International Airport had surpassed 20 million, making it the first airport in northeast China to reach this milestone in 2023, according to data from Harbin Taiping International Airport.