Harbin in northern China’s Heilongjiang province is home to the annual “Ice and Snow Festival” - and, with winter temperatures dropping below -30, it is easy to see why. Head to the outskirts of town and you’ll be greeted by a completely designed theme park of just ice buildings. There is no better way to describe it other than surreal - and yet it’s amazing and feels like another planet. Head during the day to avoid the Chinese crowds. Some tips for Harbin in winter: - wrap up warm. Like really warm. - bring extra camera/ drone batteries and keep spares as close to your body as possible inside your coat - some cameras just won’t focus due to the temperatures so be ready to manual focus if necessary #museumquest#culturalattractions#themepark

HARBIN is one of the five coldest cities in the world. The capital of Heilongjiang Province, China, it has a long winter and snow covers it for five-six months of the year. The northernmost city in China is famous for the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, one of which is a competition to make snow sculptures. Meanwhile, not far from Harbin, China is getting more and more active in dressing Yabuli, a ski resort village that is expected to rival Davos in Switzerland. The temperature that afternoon in Harbin reached minus 20 degrees Celsius, much colder than the normal temperature of a refrigerator freezer. I arrived in the capital city of Heilongjiang Province, which is located on the south bank of the Songhua River, northeast of China, on January 4. At that time, winter was hitting one of the five coldest cities in the world. For me, who for the last 15 years has lived in Makassar, South Sulawesi, being in Harbin with temperatures dropping below zero degrees Celsius is like undergoing a test of courage—slightly different from torturing myself. How not, the daily temperature in Makassar ranges from 33-35 degrees Celsius. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency even noted that the city's temperature reached 38.2 degrees Celsius in October last year, which made Makassar the hottest area in Indonesia at that time. Of course, as a tropical person, I had already equipped myself with “combat equipment” before arriving at the northernmost city in China. There are long john suits, special pants for winter, as well as scarves, beanie, gloves, and a thick jacket made of goose feathers. Armed with these items, I was originally quite proud to be able to conquer Harbin. However, I regretted that over-optimism when I personally experienced the cold attack in the 53,068-square-kilometer city. I left for the city on January 3 last, with a flight route from Jakarta to Harbin via Shanghai #themepark#nationalpark#lakes

"The world's largest ice and snow carnival.” Sculptures change annually. This year they probably have different designs than what I saw last year. Basically each Sun Island snow expo has a dominant sculpture. Each year has a major theme for sculpture works of art and the year I visited was known as “绽放”，literally “Bursting into life”, a huge snow carving over 160 meters long and 39 meters high, which was one of the largest snow works of art for the past snow expos. Actually the dominant sculpture was a large piece of snow carving arts based on several phases of snow carving which can bring to visitors different visual enjoyments and unique snow carving experience. The dominant “绽放” sculpture was a group of sculptures with Russian and Chinese elements – Russian buildings, holy snow, white swans, Longjiang Dragon,etc. This major sculpture was aimed at the booming development of Heilongjiang and China as a whole. Ticket Price : 260 RMB (1,929 PHP) #bestislandtraveltowns#naturalwonders#roadtrip#urbanexplorer

The island in winter was a dreamlike fairy world for me as everything was covered in snow. The cherry on top that afternoon was the impressive and stunningly beautiful sunset. Sun Island stay true to its name! That was one of the most remarkable sunset I’ve ever had in Harbin. I didn’t even bother to go inside the Harbin Ice and Snow World, for that gorgeous view in Sun Island was perfectly enough to fold my day! ☀️❄️ The sunset in the western sky provides a theater-like backdrop for the sun. Those beautiful warm hues mesmerized my eyes, as it intensifies the experience. Part of the beauty of a sunset is being caught off-guard, being surprised, delighted, and dazzled toward the end of the day. “I think the serendipity is kind of fun part.” #roadtrip#naturalwonders#beautifulsunsets#hikingtrails#urbanexplorer

Bits of Info: The Songhua River Ice and Snow Happy Valley is the youngest theme park of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. The park was initially open to the public on January 5, 2011. Since then it is annually open in the same day and lasts about two months on the Songhua River. The Songhua River in winter is as bustling as a summer bathing beach. It's frozen hard with ice almost one meter thick, making it a great playground for all kinds of ice sports. One can go swimming, skating and ice sailing, or ride in ice junks or horse-drawn sleighs on the Songhua River in winter. When I was there, I was quite melancholic for I see families, couples, and group of friends. That time, my heart 🤍 froze but what can I do, I just have me, myself, and I. So, I just slid my sadness away! ❄️☃️ ❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️ #roadtrip#bestislandtraveltowns#naturalwonders#urbanexplorer

On that day, on the 23rd of January 2020 I’ve been getting news about the closure of Shanghai Disneyland, The Great Wall of China, and other tourist spots in the country. Cases of 2019-nCoV that time were increasing in Wuhan, Shanghai, and Beijing. I heard there was one person got infected in Heilongjiang Province, so most of us tourists and locals in Harbin were all wearing mask. 😷 Enjoying but being cautious, as the unseen enemy might be lurking in the city. When I was there, I was quite melancholic for I see families, couples, and group of friends. That time, my heart 🤍 froze but what can I do, I just have me, myself, and I. So, I just slid my sadness away! ❄️☃️ #bestislandtraveltowns#themeparks#roadtrip#urbanexplorer

Sun Island Scenic Area is the second biggest venue of the annual Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival and it is best known as the snow sculpture display and competition area. I spent my late afternoon in there on the 23rd of January 2020. These 3-D images were gigantic. In 2007, one measuring 250 meters in length became the world record holder for the biggest snow sculpture. The snow sculptures were made from compacted snow so that they can preserve their form and bear weight. The displays were intricate and award winning. ❄️☃️🌨 #lanternshow#themeparks#naturalwonders#roadtrip#urbanexplorer

Harbin Ice and Snow World is one of the most important parts of Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. It has become the most popular winter attraction in the world. In this dreamlike theme park, not only can you see the amazing colorful illuminated ice and snow sculptures but also enjoy various interesting cultural activities and winter sports. One of the reasons why I went to Harbin was to see these gigantic illuminated ice sculptures as I saw it in Kim Chiu’s vlog. However, after that whole fun-filled day and mesmerizing sunset, my cup was overflowing and I decided not to enter the park and just captured the outside view. Plus, I need to prepare for my early trip to Snow Town the next day. ❄️🌨 Hopefully, I can still return there someday with my ‘Xian’. 😆😅 #lanternshow#themeparks#bestislandtraveltowns#roadtrip#urbanexplorer

Last few snaps in Snow Town before boarding the bus back to Harbin. 🚎 🏔❄️ During that time, cases of Coronavirus were flourishing in Wuhan, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and other major cities in China. Thus, I was forced to cancel my Beijing trip, that supposed to be the third leg of my city tour in China. I thought the scare wasn’t that serious, but at the border entering Harbin, our bus was stopped by the army and health personnels went on board to check our temperatures. In spite of the coronavirus scare, I had the most amazing time in the snow wonderland of Xuexiang. It was a dream came true! 💫❄️⛄️ #bestislandtraveltowns#nationalpark#roadtrip#hikingtrails#urbanexplorer