The 25-year-old’s sympathy wasn’t with the disappointed visitors. “Although their demands were not very reasonable, Harbin still met their demands, so everyone [online] “I thought Harbin handled it well, and I started paying attention to Harbin,” he said.
Li and her friends spent three days in Harbin last month, hoping to see the festival, which has been trending for weeks, and other Harbin tourist attractions that have been buzzing on Chinese social media platforms.
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Frigid photo shoots, ice sports, and winter festivals in China’s “Ice City” Harbin
Frigid photo shoots, ice sports, and winter festivals in China’s “Ice City” Harbin
The seven young people walked along the busy cobblestone streets of Central Street and posed for photos in front of the Russian-style Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sophia, following a top recommendation on Xiaohongshu, China’s equivalent of Instagram. .
“Russian style” [of architecture] It’s very new to me,” said Li, who is based in Beijing but is from southern China like many people who visit Harbin.
Tourism accounted for about one-third of Harbin’s GDP in 2019, but it plummeted with the arrival of the new coronavirus infection. The city’s efforts to revive the industry reached an unprecedented level of enthusiasm this year.
The excitement accelerated further with the beginning of Chunyunthis 40-day period is the busiest time of the year for Chinese travel, with the Lunar New Year holiday in between.
On the first day, January 26th, ChunyunAccording to local newspaper Harbin Daily, more than 78,000 passengers used Harbin’s airport, breaking the previous record.
The festival attracted not only domestic tourists but also several diplomats, including US Ambassador Nicholas Burns. Harbin also held the opening ceremony of the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism in January.
Determined to bring back domestic and international tourists one year after pandemic restrictions were lifted, the Heilongjiang provincial government launched a “100-day mission” to guide provincial-level promotions, campaigns and reforms ahead of the season. Announced.
Harbin has revamped the management of its tourist attractions, telling tourism officials to use this winter as a “practice season” to improve services and reputation ahead of next year’s Asian Winter Games, which the city will host. .
The capital of Heilongjiang Province is located in the middle of China’s “Rust Belt”, which includes Liaoning and Jilin provinces. Rich in oil, coal, and iron, the region experienced rapid industrialization in the 1950s..
But the region, also known as Northeastern China, was largely left behind by China’s southern coastal provinces, which began during China’s decades-long economic boom after China’s opening in 1978. Population exodus, especially of young and talented human resources – followed by an exodus.
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Why more than 1.6 million Chinese left the northeastern region and moved south
Why more than 1.6 million Chinese left the northeastern region and moved south
According to one travel agency, Harbin’s transformation into a tourist spot has also changed the character of Northeast China. The area was referred to online as the “Little Southern Potato” among visitors from the South, and had a reputation for rough accents and mannerisms.
This year, the city’s Russian heritage, brought with it by settlers who built the China Eastern Railway in the 1910s, as well as its kind and welcoming hospitality in the northeast, caught the attention of visitors commenting online .
Videos of ‘spoiled’ tourists being given free rides by locals and city government putting up an inflatable ‘moon’ for photo ops behind St. Sophia’s Cathedral have been shown on Chinese TikTok It was spread on Douyin.
“The Northeast used to be very barbaric, but we Chinese people in the northeast have become much more polite since the Harbin outbreak this year,” said Huako, manager of regional travel agency Xiangbei Travel. .
To attract and retain tourists, the service has become comparable to “nanny care,” he said. “If you have any requests, we can provide anything you want.”
Hua said his business has seen a surge in inquiries this year, leading him to run about 30 tours to Harbin. In addition to this, the company organizes tours to Harbin every year. Chunyun period.
“It was more than I expected,” he said, adding that inquiries had jumped more than 20 times compared to the previous year.
Winter tourist surge boosts northern China’s sluggish economy
Winter tourist surge boosts northern China’s sluggish economy
However, despite Harbin’s attractions, whether the region’s tourism revival is sustainable remains an open question.
Northeast China is a more convenient option for a snowy vacation than visa-required international destinations. However, distance and limited winter season remain challenges for the region’s tourism industry.
Harbin’s diversity, with its unique cultural history and natural landscape, has also not been fully explored.
Northeast China turns ice and snow into silver and gold
Northeast China turns ice and snow into silver and gold
Tim Lin, a lithographic engineer who traveled to northeast China with his family from Xiamen on China’s south coast, said he felt Harbin was too crowded and primarily known for its historical buildings.
Lin, 25, visited Central Street and the cathedral, but preferred going to the mountains and lakes.
“I may not visit Harbin again, but I might consider coming back.” [snowy] Natural scenery in other areas [of Dongbei]” he said, though he didn’t know when he would travel north across the country again.