Winter's bloom: A thriving 'hot economy' on the black soil

In recent years, ice and snow culture has continued to deepen and the ice and snow industry has steadily expanded, creating a nationwide "ice and snow boom" across China. Leveraging ice and snow as a bridge, regions have promoted the integration of culture and tourism, advanced industrial upgrades, and carved out a distinctive path for the development of the ice and snow economy.

"Cold resources" are continuously generating a "warm effect." In northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, from the 1963 Ice Lantern Garden Party at Harbin’s Zhaolin Park, to the establishment of Harbin Ice and Snow World, and to Snow Town's shift toward eco-tourism, ice and snow culture has been passed down through generations, innovated along the way, and continuously revitalized.

Local Harbin designer Li Qiushi's giant snowman sculpture has become a new online sensation; Chen Feiyue, a young ice sculpture student, conveys northeast China's distinctive romantic spirit through her craftsmanship; and Zhang Wei, once a forestry worker, has found a new way of life centered on ice and snow tourism in Snow Town. What was once biting cold and heavy snowfall is now a new engine for employment and income growth.

Ice and snow are also valuable assets. The ice and snow economy reflects Chinese President Xi Jinping's earnest expectations for China's ice and snow sector. Ice and snow not only connect art with industry but also link China with the wider world. Growing numbers of visitors from home and abroad are traveling to northeast China, particularly Heilongjiang, to admire the snow, enjoy winter activities, and immerse themselves in the unique ice and snow experience, feeling the warmth and inclusiveness of this land.

On this black soil, strength is gathering amid ice and snow, ushering in a future filled with vitality and hope.