What happened
Every winter, China’s northeastern city of Harbin is transformed into a winter wonderland. Picture 250,000 cubic meters of ice meticulously carved into 1,000 ethereal ice sculptures, taking the shape of castles, temples, mythical creatures, and more.
These installations are complemented by icy slides, a Ferris wheel, folk performances, Russian-influenced cuisine, and a variety of snow activities, all coming together to complete the winter wonderland.
On January 5, the capital of Heilongjiang province officially kicked off its annual International Ice and Snow Festival, welcoming a flood of local and foreign tourists. Over the three-day New Year weekend, Harbin reported a record high of 3.05 million visitors, generating roughly $824 million (5.91 billion RMB) in tourism revenue — four times the amount earned by the popular southern destination Sanya over the same period.
Tourist numbers are expected to remain high, with hotels in the city booked out past the Spring Festival, starting on February 10, as mentioned by the festival’s marketing vice director to Reuters. The event is anticipated to run until early March or until the snow melts.
The Jing Take
While Harbin has always been a popular tourist destination, foot traffic this year has been particularly high, thanks to the absence of Covid-19 restrictions. In fact, snow activities are expected to boom this year, with the China Tourism Academy predicting the 2024-2025 ice season to see 520 million trips and $101 billion (720 billion RMB) in revenue.
But more so, social media has played a key role in drawing crowds to the city. On Xiaohongshu, the hashtags “Harbin” and “Harbin travel” boast a total of 1.9 billion views and 800 million views, respectively.
On Weibo, various hashtags related to Harbin have accumulated millions of views over the last week; these include mentions of frozen pears shaped like flowers, a local specialty, and “small potatoes,” a nickname locals use for southern Chinese visitors who come bundled up in winter clothes and are typically shorter in stature, resembling potatoes.
“I really regret coming to Harbin — regret not coming earlier!” writes Xiaohongshu user @白小白beatrice. “This city is full of exotic charm, from the crystal-clear Ice and Snow World to the Saint Sophia Cathedral, which is more cost-effective than [visiting the one in] Russia, and the charming Hengdaohezi Town, even more beautiful than Hokkaido and Kamakura."
The buzz has even made its way to TikTok, where global tourists are sharing their experiences at the ice festival, amassing 108 million views.
Naturally, all this social media hype has captured the attention of brands.
Luxury beauty label Lancôme, for instance, has crafted a crystal-clear installation in the shape of the Arc de Triomphe, featuring the handiwork of multimedia Chinese artist Jacky Tsai. Meanwhile, Tencent’s mobile game title Game for Peace, Chinese dairy company Wandashan, and Chinese skincare brand Voolga have similarly contributed their own branded sculptures, which make for fun photoshoot spots.
The travel rush to Harbin serves as a positive signal for China’s travel sector, businesses involved in winter activities, as well as luxury brands looking for creative ways to wow consumers. With its fairy tale-esque festival and unique local culture, China’s northernmost region could become the world’s must-visit winter destination. Just beware the frigid cold.
The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.