Old Railway Bridge

I've been passing this lovely old bridge near the top of Zhongyang Avenue for years now, and I had no idea that it was a pedestrian walkway and not a working railway bridge!

I visited the bridge on a holiday, so it was a little crowded. (This photo doesn't do that statement justice, there were sections that were quite packed.)

A train crossing the Songhua on the new railway bridge.

The lovely little park along the old train tracks on the other side of the bridge. It felt fairly new, especially in the stretches with gaping holes waiting for trees to go in!

A look up the river with its melting ice floes and hazy Songbei shoreline. (As the region melts in the springtime we start getting dust storms sweeping in from further west.)

A look at Stalin Park and downtown Harbin from the bridge.

The Great Meltdown

A look at the melting Songhua! Qingming Festival was our first day over 20 degrees this spring and even with all the dust in the air it was still lovely to be out and about on such a warm day!

A look at the patchwork of ice still clinging to the river.

Mall Matryoshka

Most people here don't seem to like Russians, but that doesn't stop them from using Harbin's Russian origins to make a few bucks. This was the first time I'd spotted a giant matryoshka being used for such purposes though! (Or any giant matryoshka at all for that matter!)

Songhua in Early Spring

Given how warm (for here!) it's been lately I was more than a little surprised to see so much ice left on the Songhua! You definitely can't walk across it anymore, but it's still impressive how much of the river is still covered!

The trees are very wisely holding out till they're sure the warmer weather's here to stay...

People are already out flying kites again! (God knows there's always the wind for it!)

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...Spring?

I'm a little afraid that we'll get a snowstorm after I post this, but we've had daytime highs well over zero for a few days now, so hopefully we won't! Pictured is the Harbin Concert Hall - the rather hideous present-day home of China's oldest symphony orchestra - on Qunli Way in southwest Harbin.

A closeup of a lovely sculpture outside the Harbin Concert Hall.

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!?