The Bleak Mid-Winter

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année 2019! Winter has now fallen on Tianjin, bringing a sudden temperature drop to ten degrees below zero and biting cold winds. The river has frozen over; Chinese families and friends go about on sledges and ice skates; and, if one looks hard enough, the occasional Christmas decoration can be seen. It’s surreal to think we first came here in T-shirts and shorts. On the weekend before Christmas Eve, many of us travelled to the city of Harbin in China’s far northeast. Before receiving a place on this scholarship, I’d heard very little, if anything, about Harbin. Now I would advise anyone thinking of going to China, this Winter Wonderland is definitely worth a visit.

Source: Google Maps

Harbin is connected to cities in Russia by railway, meaning a lot of Russian influence has come in over the years. During winter the temperature can drop to -40⁰C and all the streets are frozen over. What makes Harbin most well-known, however, is that every year it hosts the largest ice and snow sculpture festival on the planet. Sculptors from across the globe gather in the city each winter to show off their talents in the most spectacular and breath-taking display.

We arrived Saturday morning after a rather packed sleeper train and were welcomed by our local tour guide. She introduced the city to us and sternly warned us to be careful not to slip on the ice: “When crossing the road, you must take small steps, like Japanese lady. When climbing stairs, you must go sideways, like crab.” Despite the warning, however, I managed to slip and crash land on the ice twice, one time even going down an entire flight of stairs in an ice castle on my backside. I’d say now I’ve learned my lesson – going back to Tianjin with bruises particularly reinforced that!

The first day we visited Volga Manor, a Russian mansion on the outskirts of town, where we could see some Western architecture, try Russian wine, and even go down a massive snow slide from the mansion’s roof to the ground. We also visited a few Orthodox churches like St. Sophia Cathedral and Zhongyang shopping street at night.

What caught my attention most about the city was the mix of Chinese and Russian culture. It was interesting to see parts of Russia scattered around the city, such as the architecture, Russian music playing from shop windows, small souvenirs like Russian dolls, bread, chocolate and vodka, and the Cyrillic Alphabet on several signs. Yet the city was still distinctly Chinese, with the people, language, food, noisy roads and abundant street vendors rather similar to those in Tianjin. I feel this trip was my first proper taste of Russia, and it was fascinating to see two very different countries blended together in one city.

The crowning jewel of the trip, however, was the Harbin Ice and Snow World – an exhibition park showing off the best work of Harbin’s ice sculptors. Castles, towers, pagodas, statues, city walls, world landmarks and more were built, life-size, entirely out of ice – then lit up at night-time in a hundred different colours. I still can’t find words to fully describe it – it was unlike any other place I’d seen on Earth. For the two hours we spent there, I simply wandered from sculpture to sculpture, drinking in the atmosphere with wide eyes and an open jaw.

We came to Harbin just when the festival opened, so many sculptors were still at work, which I found quite interesting to watch, seeing the tools and techniques they used to finish their masterpieces. I had a small chat with one of the workers in the Ice and Snow World, who proudly pointed out the sculptures his team had been working on. While we were talking, he suddenly grabbed my arm and said “nǐ chuān de tài shǎo le! (you’re not wearing enough!)” Admittedly, I had come a bit underdressed. I’d forgotten to buy snowboots, so I was wearing shopping bags inside my trainers to keep my feet from getting wet!

Although the temperature only went down to -20⁰C while we were there, the cold was still an unpleasant sensation – when I removed my glove for even a few seconds to check my phone, I could feel the skin drying up and the fingers becoming harder to move. Many shops simply put their frozen stock in boxes outside rather than refrigerators.

Food also made the trip more enjoyable, and we filled up on local delicacies like spicy sausage, barbecued squid, sweet and sour pork, Harbin ice cream and, of course, delicious Russian chocolate. One street stall even sold fried insects on sticks, such as scorpions, centipedes, tarantulas, maggots and seahorses – not a sight for the faint of heart! I made sure to try some skewered crickets before going home.

Spending Christmas in Tianjin was an emotional challenge of sorts. Until now, Christmas has always felt like a time when you can spend eternity enjoying the company of friends and family, from one hearty meal to the next. It was bizarre to look out my window on December 25th and see a world where Christmas was just another working day. Christmas is scarcely celebrated in China and most people continue business as usual – some students even have exams on Christmas Day.

However, it was a comfort having expat friends to celebrate the occasion with. The international church in Tianjin had a special service on Christmas Eve, which a few hundred people attended. It was a lovely way to celebrate the evening, lighting candles and singing carols, along with expats from over 50 different countries around the globe. All the scholars got together on Christmas morning to exchange secret Santa presents, and in the afternoon I enjoyed a traditional Christmas dinner with a Dutch family I’d met during my first week in China.

Now that 2019 has begun, I’m looking forward to an exciting and eventful year, especially next week when our 6-week holiday starts to mark Chinese New Year. I plan to travel across China and Southeast Asia during this time, so I’ll hopefully have lots to share in my next blog!

À plus!

麦亚伦

Arran