[hkskyline]

After surviving brutal winters in Chicago, Toronto, and Yellowknife, I ventured into the northeastern part of China to explore a famous winter wonderland that is starting to get international attention.

The Russians came to Harbin as part of their railroad-building efforts from Vladivostok, and their architectural legacy is still visible in the city today. Getting here is fairly easy - either a 2 hour flight from Beijing, or a 7.5 hour high-speed train ride.































The city hosts the world's largest ice and snow festival every year, and is the main reason why you should brave bitterly-cold temperatures to visit. The festival is hosted across the Songhua River on a huge site spanning over 750,000 sq m. The 2019 festival featured 2000 ice sculptures with the ice coming from the nearby river.























More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/harbin.htm