A Warmer Winter

It's definitely been an odd winter here in Manchuria! I moved here from the American Midwest, so while the duration of the cold was a change, the cold and snow in and of themselves weren't a big shock. And the last two winters certainly delivered plenty of cold! But while this winter has had its cold moments, on the whole it's been a lot warmer than my previous winters here have been.

Exhibit A: It got so warm in mid-February that every started melting, which was just unreal after my previous winters here!

Exhibit B: Not long after everything melted, we got dumped on! (This just shows the beginning!) There's just no telling what you're going to get...

Sun Island Snow Festival 2017

The snow princess sculpture at the entrance to the Snow Festival, held annually as part of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival at the Sun Island Scenic Area. Entrance is ¥240 (about US$35) for foreigners and ¥150 (roughly US$22) for local residents.

A sculpture depicting Harbin's historic fusion of Eastern European, East Asian, and modern influences.

One of the larger sculptures at the Festival this year inspired by Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

It was a little startling (and cool!) to see a desert scene depicted in snow.

Some of my favorites among the snow sculptures incorporated traditional Chinese painting in really stunning ways!

It's the Year of the Fire Rooster on the Chinese calendar, so it was a little funny to see so many roosters made of snow...

More snow/paint gorgeousness!

A snow seahorse! (Or a sea snowhorse?)

This particular sculpture was really striking!

The view over the frozen lake at the heart of the Sun Island Scenic Area.

Sunset over Sun Island!

Another of my favorites!

WHAT is that shark going to do to that poor rooster!?

2017: Year of the Coughing Chicken

I was able to get away from the PRC around Christmastime and Harbin welcomed me back with some gorgeously blue, clear (for here) skies...and then settled back into this. The air pollution seems to hovering in the upper 100s and low 200s, with a few days up near 500 on the Chinese scale. This will be my first Chinese New Year in China, and I'm told the pollution will only get thicker as we get closer to the holiday thanks to all the joss paper-burning and fireworks that happen around the holiday...

Holy Protection in the Snow

Holy Protection Chinese Orthodox Church - the last functioning Orthodox church in Harbin - in the first snow of winter.

Sunrise Over Nangang

Another gorgeous, pollution-enhanced sunrise. (I know I should love them, but I do!) I live in Daoli District, but the sun rises over Nangang just to the east of my apartment complex.

A closer look (from another morning) at the plumes of coal smoke rising over the city...

Manchurian Spring

I always return to the PRC from the Lunar New Year holidays hopeful that spring is just around the corner...and then the above happens.

And the above. Oh well, I knew what I was getting myself into when I moved to Manchuria!

Ice and Snow Sculptures on Zhongyang

大白! A snow sculpture of Dà Bái or 'Big White,' as Baymax is known here. Apparently Baymax likes Manchurian kvass...

A sweet ice sculpture near Zhongyang Avenue's Bomele 1931.

An ice sculpture commemorating the 118th anniversary of Harbin's founding in 1898 by Russia's Chinese Eastern Railway.

Another lovely ice sculpture.

Another of the snow sculptures up now along Zhongyang Avenue.

Our Air: The Source

On the way into the city from the airport you can see one of the many sources of our air pollution here. Ugh...

This ≠ Parking

There is literally no end to the ridiculousness that passes as parking here in Harbin! Often quite exasperating when you're just trying to walk down the sidewalk. I literally have NO idea how the handicapped I very rarely see out and about in wheelchairs navigate the sidewalks, especially when many of them are blocked by piles of snow and badly parked cars...

Ice Blocks Building an Ice City

It was so neat to see the ice buildings and ice sculptures start to go up on Zhongyang Avenue recently! Despite the at times horrific air pollution the winter really is a magical time in Harbin!

St. Sophia in the Snow

Harbin's former St. Sophia Orthodox Cathedral (now the Municipal Art and Architecture Museum) as the snow begins to fall.

Zhongyang Avenue in the Wintertime

Lovely Zhongyang Avenue in the wintertime just before another snow. 

Another view down Zhongyang Avenue...

Bomele 1931 in the Wintertime

A wintertime view of the Bomele 1931 on Zhongyang Avenue. A great place for a coffee or a cheesecake!

Winter Traffic

Curiously enough, China's Ice City is not so great at dealing with snow and ice. We recently had some heavy (for here) snowfall and it paralyzed the city for a couple of days. Buses driving busy routes that normally came every 5 or 10 minutes stopped running entirely, others came at much longer intervals than normal, taxis became impossible to find, and horrendous traffic jams made off-rush hour trips that usually took 15 or 20 minutes by bus take an hour or more. It's my second winter here and even though I left for work extra early each day I still barely made it on time, and once not at all! (Pictured above is the tail end of a traffic jam I got stuck in on a bus - it took nearly an hour to go a kilometer and a half. When we finally made it to a bus stop I walked the rest of my way.) So be warned, if you're going to be in Harbin in the winter, bring your winter gear and think about walking to wherever you're going if it's just snowed!

First Snow of the Season

Our first snow this year as seen on Xinyang Lu. The first snow is always so magical! (It didn't hurt that it cleaned our air pollution up for a couple of days too!)

Zhaolin Park in the Winter

The awesome ice block fortress entryway on the south side of Harbin's Zhaolin Park.

Songhua in the Winter

Looking across the Songhua River from Stalin Park to Sun Island and left bank Harbin. It's hard to believe the river's frozen over already!

Streetside Ice Sculpture

Winter is a magical time of year in Harbin, thanks in large part to the many gorgeous ice sculptures and ice block constructions scattered around the city. I passed this particular beauty on Zhongyang Dajie, the city's pedestrian avenue. (It was just one of many lovely ice sculptures lining the street!)

Zhongyang Entryway

The archway at the foot of Zhongyang Street, East Asia's longest pedestrian avenue.

Jile Temple in the Snow

One of the beautiful gateways to Harbin's Jile Temple, made even lovelier by all the snow.