Winter Travel in China’s Northeast – From Harbin’s Ice Festival to Xuexiang Snow Village

Welcome to Harbin and China’s Far Northeast, a region that embraces winter like no other. In this video, we explore the dazzling ice sculptures and glowing lanterns of the Ice and Snow Festival, wander along the frozen Songhua River, and admire the city’s unique architecture, including the Saint Sophia Cathedral. Beyond Harbin, we venture into the snow-covered village of Xuexiang, where quiet paths and forested hills create a fairytale winter landscape. Finally, we return to the city in summer, traversing the same streets, but with a very different atmosphere. I traveled through China for 18 months on multiple occasions, spread over more than a decade. And in this series, I’m looking back on some of the places that I visited. For other travel documentaries click here: Journey along China’s Yangtze River:    • Journey along China’s Yangtze River – From...   Journey through Northern China:    • Journey Through Northern China - From the ...   Journey through Southern China:    • Journey Through Southern China -  From Rur...   Journey through Tunisia:    • Journey Through Tunisia - Africa Travel Do...   Journey through Ethiopia:    • Journey Through Ethiopia - Africa Travel D...   Journey through Saudi Arabia:    • Journey Through Saudi Arabia - Travel Docu...   Journey through Israel:    • Journey Through Israel - Travel Documentary   Journey through Palestine:    • Journey Through Palestine - Travel Documen...   Napoli and Beyond:    • Napoli and Beyond - Italy Travel Documentary   Journey through Sicily:    • Journey Through Sicily - Italy Travel Docu...   Journey through Iran:    • Journey Through Iran - Travel Documentary   Journey through Central Asia:    • Journey Through Japan - Travel Documentary   Top 10 Places in India:    • Top 10 Places to Visit in India - Travel V...   Instagram:   / stefhoffer   Facebook:   / stefhoffer   Copyright of all footage: Hoffer Media Here’s a brief overview of the content in this video: We start our journey in central Harbin, admiring Saint Sophia Church, a former Russian Orthodox cathedral, and wandering through lively shopping streets and markets. We then make our way to the frozen Songhua River, a lively gathering places for locals and tourists. The highlight of a visit to Harbin is the Ice and Snow Festival. Here, thousands of workers prepare for many weeks in bitterly cold conditions, building temples, sculptures and palaces, all made from ice and snow. Visitors take part in all kinds of winter fun, including sledding and skating. While the festival is impressive during the day, it becomes even more special in the evening, when the ice sculptures are lit up with beautiful neon lights. We also travel beyond Harbin, and drive to Xuexiang, an attractive village tucked away in the mountains and forests of Heilongjiang province. Every winter, this town is covered with layers of snow, turning it into a popular tourist attraction and feast for the eye. Finally, we return to Harbin in summer, exploring some of the same places and streets as we did in winter, only with a very different atmosphere. Timestamps / video chapters: 0:00 Introduction 0:49 Harbin (winter) 7:10 Xuexiang Snow Town 9:31 Harbin (summer) 12:08 End #china #chinatravel #harbinicefestival