Ice, snow economy ignites Harbin

(ECNS) -- During the three-day New Year holiday, Harbin, situated in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, has emerged as a trending city online, drawing in a considerable influx of tourists.

Since entering winter, the booming trend of ice and snow tourism has led to a rapid growth in tourists flow in the city. As of the third day of the New Year holiday, a total of 3.05 million tourists had visited Harbin , achieving a total revenue of 5.914 billion yuan ($0.83 billion ). Both the number of tourists received and the total tourism revenue have reached historic peaks, according to local authorities.

As the City of Music, Harbin invited symphony orchestras into shopping malls.

For tourists eager to capture snowy scenes with the moon, it raised a round artificial moon over the Saint Sophia Cathedral.

For those who can’t stand the extreme cold, the city erected Warm Stations on squares, providing cozy resting places.

Besides, the Ewenki people were invited to Central Street to perform reindeer shows.

Frozen pear in Northeast China is a local specialty, but it is not served in a typical way. To welcome Southern diners who may not be familiar with frozen pears and are unsure how to eat them, some restaurants in Harbin sliced the frozen fruit and presented them with exquisite plating.

"Harbin, you make me feel unfamiliar.” The tag has made it to the hot search on Weibo this Wednesday, with many tourists sharing online about their experience of the city.

Southern tourists have been given an exclusive nickname, "Little Potatoes." Locals explain that in their eyes, "Little Potatoes" is an endearing term that conveys cuteness and charm.

Due to the generally petite stature of Southern tourists, especially girls who bundle up tightly to withstand the cold, they resemble "Little Potatoes" in appearance.

During the New Year holiday, tourism markets across China grew lively and bustling.

According to statistics released by the country's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, a total of 135 million domestic trips were recorded in China during the three-day New Year holiday from last Saturday to Monday.

The data reveals a remarkable surge of 155.3 percent compared to the same period last year and a notable 9.4 percent increase compared to 2019.