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Xiong Yang

The construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway by the Russian Empire at the turn of the 20th century gave birth to modern-day Harbin, the northeastern Chinese city known for its annual ice festival. For a time, the city served as the railway’s construction hub and administrative centre.
Though the railways have long receded in importance, Harbin is still full of Russian architectural influence.
This, paired with abundant snow and ice, has transformed the capital of Heilongjiang, China’s northernmost province, into a popular winter destination for domestic – and, increasingly, international – travellers.
Here is how to enjoy a weekend in the city.
Friday
4pm: Frolic on the frozen river
Located on the bank of Songhuajiang river, Stalin Park (3 Sidalin Street, Daoli district) offers a bracing introduction to Harbin’s winter chill and a clear view of the river, which typically freezes over in winter.
The free Ice and Snow Carnival, located near the 1958 Flood Control Monument, is a paradise for skaters and sledders.
Just steps away, the Hotel Indigo Harbin’s lobby bar (259 Central Avenue, Daoli district) offers a gentler way to settle in, with hot drinks and views of the sun sinking over the river.

6pm: Stroll among ice sculptures
After sunset, head south to Zhaolin Park, which comes to life with the Ice Lantern Show. The sculptures, which are illuminated in vivid colours, span history and futurism, mythology and nature.
Some feature fish darting through ferocious waves; others transport visitors back in time with figures in traditional dress, wielding musical instruments or swords.
7pm: Feast on a hearty stew
Dongbei (northeastern Chinese) cuisine is famously hearty, and tie guo dun, a traditional iron pot stew, is among its signature dishes. Fresh cuts of goose alongside pork ribs or offal simmer in a large iron wok at the table while cornbread buns line the rim as the pot simmers, soaking up steam and flavour from the stew.

Traditional establishments usually require advance notice so that the dish can be prepared ahead of your arrival.
At the chain restaurant Shan He Tun (various locations, including 17 Da’an Street, Daoli district), the stew is partially cooked beforehand and finished tableside. As the pot bubbles, servers add a steamer to cook huajuan, braided rolls that later absorb the rich, aromatic sauce. Advance online queuing via the Dianping app is recommended.
9pm: Wrap the day with something sweet
Originally known as China Street, Harbin’s cobblestone Central Street is believed to be the longest pedestrian thoroughfare in Asia. It was built by Russians in the 19th century and was originally used by Chinese labourers transporting materials for railway construction from the river.

When Harbin opened as a trading post in 1907, merchants and investors flooded in, establishing shops, banks, restaurants and hotels. Today, more than 70 historical buildings line the street, displaying architectural styles from Baroque to Art Nouveau.
At the halfway point, you will find Qiulin Kvass Centennial House (111 Central Street, Daoli district). Inside the building, visitors can taste and learn about the science and history of Churin Kvass, a fermented rye bread drink invented by Russian merchant Ivan Churin that has become a staple of Harbin.
A few shops away, Madie’er (89 Central Street, Daoli district) serves Harbin creamy ice lollies, a classic Harbin snack that can be traced back to Joseph Kaspe, a Russian-Jewish soldier-turned-merchant who established the Moderne Hotel (Madie’er is the Chinese phonetic rendering of “modern”).
Saturday
7am: Fuel up at a morning market
Morning markets are common institutions across northeastern China, where hawkers shout in thick local accents as the air fills with the smell of sizzling oil.
Local markets found in areas such as Yonghe Street in Harbin’s Nangang district sell everything from fruits and spices to household goods, while tourist favourite Hongzhuan Street in the city’s Daoli district focuses on breakfast fare and Harbin specialities, including smoked sausages.

Make sure to try local favourites such as egg sandwiches stuffed with minced pork and corn, steamed buns filled with pork ribs and beans, and you zha gao, sticky rice fritters with red bean paste. Adventurous eaters can try chocolate youtiao fried dough sticks, which are best paired with hot soy milk.
Yonghe Street winds down around 9am as stalls give way to traffic; Hongzhuan Street often runs until late morning on holidays.
9am: Dive into local history
The Heilongjiang Provincial Museum (50 Hongjun Street, Nangang district) is housed in a baroque building originally constructed as a department store in 1908. What remains at the museum, which plans to move to a new site north of the city, are displays focused on Harbin’s urban history, including railway construction, architecture, social life, and the early idea of the museum as a public institution.

An extensive collection of local fauna specimens prepared by Boris Pavlovich Yakovlev, the Russian head of the former Exhibition Hall, is among the museum’s highlights.
11am: Trace Harbin’s architectural past
Heilongjiang Provincial Museum sits in an area once favoured by foreign residents under Russian administration, and across the street stands the former Italian consulate, a bright yellow Baroque villa built by Italian engineer Pietro Gibello-Socco, who worked on the Chinese Eastern Railway.
A walk along Dongdazhi Street leads to the Churin Trading House (364 Dongdazhi Street, Nangang district). Among the first of its kind in mainland China, this domed Baroque department store was founded by Ivan Churin. Several churches dot the neighbourhood, including St Alekseyev Church (47 Shike Street, Nangang district), a crimson Russian Orthodox church moved to Harbin from neighbouring Jilin province after the Russo-Japanese War.
12pm: Sample a Dongbei speciality
Guo bao rou tells a story of Harbin’s history. Comprising crispy pork slices coated in a sweet and sour glaze, the dish was adapted from a savoury version to suit the Russian palate and is now ubiquitous across northeastern China.
Lao Chu Jia is a guo bao rou specialist run by the inventor’s descendants. It has various branches, including one in Songlei Mall (329 Dongdazhi Street, Nangang district) near the Churin Trading House.

Zhiyin Jiulou (278 Huayuan Street, Nangang district) is another local favourite, serving a particularly crispy rendition alongside other regional staples such as da la pi, a mung bean noodle salad tossed with vegetables in sesame sauce.
3pm: Enter the world of ice and snow
As the city’s winter showpiece, Harbin Ice and Snow World (1458 Taiyang Avenue, Songbei district) spans 1.2 million square metres (13 million square feet) and is the largest park of its kind in the world.
For the best views, take a ride on the Ferris wheel that towers 120 metres (390ft) above the park, for which reservations are required and can be made via the official WeChat mini-app.


Each year, the festival features different global landmarks made of ice. This season includes a 27-metre-tall version of the Yellow Crane Tower (one of mainland China’s Four Great Pagodas), a tulou (a Hakka-style circular dwelling) and a Belgian castle.
As well as wandering through monumental structures and delicate sculptures, visitors can take part in a wide range of activities – such as ice slides (same reservation requirements apply) and curling – and take in performances.
Dumplings are a northeastern Chinese speciality perfect for eating in cold weather. Dongfang Jiaozi Wang (Dumpling King of the East), which has been operating since the early 1990s and has an outpost inside Harbin Ice and Snow World, serves them piping hot.
Its signature san xian dumplings combine pork with seafood such as sea cucumber and shrimp roe, while seasonal fillings include eggs with pickled cabbage. For extra warmth, opt for dumplings served in a tomato broth.

9pm: Soak, Dongbei-style
No visit to Harbin is complete without a bathhouse session. Born of necessity – it was warmer and cheaper for families to take baths at bathhouses than at home – bathhouses have evolved into full-scale leisure complexes, with many now offering massages, reading and gaming rooms, lavish hot buffets, and fruit spreads.
Binguo Hot Spring Space (12 Aijian Road, Daoli district) is known for its extensive fruit selection, including tropical imports such as jackfruit and durian.
Sunday
9am: Shop Chinese baroque
Zhong Hua Ba Luo Ke, which translates as “Chinese baroque”, refers to a style of architecture that blends Western facades with Chinese floor plans. It is also the name of a neighbourhood around Nantoudao Street in the city’s Daowai district, where Chinese entrepreneurs set up shops in the 1920s.

Revived in recent years, the area – known as the Chinese Baroque Historic and Cultural Block – features boutiques, cafes, restaurants and museums.
Ba Bi Luo Ke (59 Chunhua Street, Daowai district) is a Russian bakery that offers soft potato buns and authentic borscht. The Daowai Baroque Museum (47 Nan’erdao Street, Daowai district) traces the district’s evolution across commerce, culture and politics.
Nearby, Songguang Li bookstore (27 Nansandao Street, Daowai district) highlights local writers who continue to evolve Dongbei literature, a genre shaped by the region’s landscapes, histories and wars.
12pm: Taste Harbin’s Eastern European legacy
Harbin probably boasts more Russian restaurants than any other Chinese city, though the food has mostly been adapted to local tastes. Ukrainian borscht, traditionally beetroot-heavy, is more tomato-forward here.
But the decor of Tatoc restaurant (127 Central Street, Daoli district), with chandeliers and dark wooden counters, evokes an era when an estimated 150,000 emigrants from the Russian Empire called the city home.

3pm: End on a sweet note
Danko Bakery (Haiguan Street, Nangang district) is among the city’s most popular pastry spots. Its newest branch is in the Huang Fang Zi (“yellow houses”) area, named for the pastel facades of former railway officials’ residences.
The bakery’s ba dun, a fluffy, milky white bread, is a favourite, while desserts such as Napoleon slices and honey cake are rich without being too sweet. Bread is baked on-site and available throughout the day, whereas desserts arrive from the central kitchen between 1pm and 3pm and sell out quickly.


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Tourists admire ice sculptures during the Harbin  International Ice and Snow Festival in 2023. As well as hosting the world’s largest ice festival, the capital of Heilongjiang province in northeastern China is home to delicious local delicacies and Russian influences, which make it great for a weekend getaway. Photo: China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

A view of the 1958 Flood Control Monument and the Ice and Snow Carnival from the lobby terrace of the Hotel Indigo Harbin. Photo: Xiong Yang

Tie guo dun one-pot stew at Shan He Tun in Harbin. Photo: Xiong Yang

Pedestrians walk on Harbin’s Central Street, which is believed to be the longest pedestrian thoroughfare in Asia. Photo: Xinhua

Crowds gather at the Hongzhuan Street morning market in Harbin. Photo: Xiong Yang

The facade of the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum in Harbin’s Nangang district. Photo: Xiong Yang

Guo bao rou, or crispy pork slices coated in a sweet-and-sour glaze, at Lao Chu Jia. Photo: Xiong Yang

Dumplings from Dongfang Jiaozi Wang, a Harbin institution that has been around since the 1990s. Photo: Xiong Yang

Pedestrians walk around Zhong Hua Ba Luo Ke, or the Chinese Baroque area, in Harbin. Photo: Xiong Yang

Stuffed cabbage rolls at Tatoc restaurant, a traditional Russian restaurant in Harbin. Photo: Xiong Yang

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Visiting Harbin during its Ice and Snow Festival adds a range of winter fun on top of delicious food, Russian architecture and bathhouses


Visiting Harbin during its Ice and Snow Festival adds a range of winter fun on top of delicious food, Russian architecture and bathhouses.


Best things to do in Harbin, China’s ice festival mecca with a Russian accent

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Visiting Harbin during its Ice and Snow Festival adds a range of winter fun on top of delicious food, Russian architecture and bathhouses

Friday

Visiting Harbin during its Ice and Snow Festival adds a range of winter fun on top of delicious food, Russian architecture and bathhouses