Attendees of the exhibition’s opening enjoy a chat on February 27 (COURTESY PHOTO) 

An exhibition themed on Harbin, a city known for its ice and snow culture located in China’s northeastern province of Heilongjiang, opened to the public on February 27 at the Beijing Books Building. The event will conclude on March 5.   

“This exhibition aims to showcase Harbin’s attractive landscape, ice and snow culture and the accomplishments of local ice and snow sports athletes,” Lan Feng, a public communication official in Harbin, said at the exhibit’s opening ceremony.  

As the winter season began in late 2023, Harbin, also nicknamed China’s Ice City, became a trending tourist destination, with millions of tourists sharing their experiences there on Chinese social media, catapulting Harbin-related hashtags into the top trending tags.  

Extremely hot topics on social media platforms such as Weibo, China’s X equivalent, lifestyle and e-commerce app Xiaohongshu, and Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, included the local hospitality, accessible pricing, the stunning scenery and the convenient services provided by local government and communities.  

 The exhibition displays professional pictures of Olympic athletes--as seen here on February 27 (COURTESY PHOTO) 

According to Lan, the city’s tourism economy is slated to continue to boom this year, with more than 10 million tourists visiting the city and generating a revenue of 16.42 billion yuan ($2.28 billion) during this year’s eight-day Spring Festival holiday, from February 10 to 17, both breaking historic records.  

“We are stepping up efforts to maintain Harbin’s popularity through multiple methods, including producing videos about the city and organizing exhibitions, which will visually enhance people’s impressions of Harbin,” Lan said, adding that Harbin is endowed with unique natural resources and magnificent scenery due to its geographical location.   

Harbin has long served as a transportation and communication hub between the European and Asian continents and throughout history has been influenced by a range of cultures.Its high latitude provides resources for year-round ice and snow sports.   

Harbin’s urban forest coverage is 46 percent and it has been designated as one of the first International Wetland Cities in the world.  

The exhibition in Beijing consists of dozens of photo and short video series, including This is Harbin, The City of Ice and Snow Culture, Famous Ice and Snow Tourism at Home and Abroad and City of Olympic Champions. They aim to tell the story of Harbin’s unique ice and snow wonders and boost the local tourism economy.  

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon  

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