11 preschoolers become endorsers for winter tourism

CHANGCHUN, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Eleven preschool children, bundled up in bright orange down coats, have captured the hearts of Chinese netizens as they embark on a "brave" camp trip to northeast China, a region renowned as an Arctic-like snowy wonderland in winter.

The children, aged between 3 and 6 years old and escorted by three teachers, came from Nanning, the capital city of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, over 3,000 km away, with a daytime temperature currently above 20 degrees Celsius.

Upon their arrival about a week ago in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province, they sparked huge discussions on multiple social media platforms due to their adorable uniforms and overall cuteness.

Wherever they go, they set off a craze on cyberspace and have accumulated a flood of followers curious about their adventure in the north.

As Guangxi is closely linked with sugar oranges, which has a peel color exactly the same as the down jackets worn by the children, these little intrepid travelers have been affectionately referred to as "little sugar oranges" by online communities.

The team of 11 immersed themselves in the immense fun of ice and snow during their travels. Their trip in Heilongjiang included tours to Harbin, China's northernmost city Mohe and the "Snow Town," during which they were pampered, both online and offline.

To express gratitude for the hospitality received in Heilongjiang, 189 tonnes of freshly picked tangerines from Guangxi were sent to the province last week, and given out at a popular tourist destination free of charge.

On Sunday, the children kickstarted a new journey to the neighboring Jilin Province. They were showered with affection by the locals and received gifts from a group of friends dressed in blue outfits, representing the region's iconic rime ice.

"Jilin, here we come," said the young southerners in a soft, babyish tone.

In Jilin, the children embarked on a night boat trip, tried skiing and also plan to visit some popular sights within the province.

"The kids learned very fast and showed a lot of enthusiasm for skiing. Some of them just lay down to feel and play with the snow. I look forward to the chance to meet them again," said Geng Shilin, a ski coach at Lake Songhua Resort.

"It was a total surprise that the children's trip went viral on the internet. They received a lot of love and attention, and we are deeply moved," said a parent of a child in the tour group.

The preschoolers' high-profile tour is a fraction of how winter tourism has heated up in recent years in China.

This winter, northeastern cities such as Harbin and Yanji frequently made headlines as southerners flocked to savor the ice-and-snow fun, generously sharing online the warmth, hospitality and meticulous care they have received.

A series of new facilities and services, such as free subway shuttle and makeshift cold-escaping houses, have been provided to ensure a better travel experience for sightseers fighting the bitter outdoor cold, which cyber citizens jokingly call measures to "spoil" tourists.

In the three-day New Year holiday, Harbin received a total of more than 3 million tourists, and achieved total tourism income of 5.9 billion yuan (about 831 million U.S. dollars). Both numbers represent record highs.

Jilin, which boasts 75 ski resorts, strives to receive over 115 million tourist arrivals in snow seasons between 2023 and 2024, an increase of 102.7 percent year on year. The province also aims for a total ice-and-snow tourism revenue of 230 billion yuan, up 128.09 percent year on year.

Watching the fantastic adventure of the 11 kids, many tourists have already filed cities in northeastern China on their "wish list" travel destinations for the upcoming Spring Festival holiday.

The experiences of tourists and the "little sugar oranges" in northeast China made me want to pack up and start my journey right away, wrote a netizen from Hebei Province.