Sometime in the 1990's, I went to see some ice sculptures created by artists from Harbin in California. Of course, the exhibition took place inside a big ice warehouse. I was impressed back then but didn’t really realize the magnitude of the exhibition until about 2001 when I first saw some pictures of the Ice Lantern Festival. After that I put Harbin high on the list of places to visit. In 2006, I got close of going but something else came up. We almost gave up on the trip this year as well since we couldn’t get enough people interested in joining. Finally, we could arrange a private tour of six friends and off we went.

Beijing
Our trip started at the capital of China. I was here almost 10 years ago and I remembered it as a bustling city. I also vividly remembered seeing a lot of bikers back then. Now, there are more cars than bikers. The city is preparing itself for the Summer Olympic Games in 2008 and it shows. The main landmarks in Beijing, like the Forbidden City, are in the process of being renovated and therefore are only partly open. A few has undergone the renovation and ready for the world to see, like the Temple of Heaven. If you plan to go visit this city for the first time, wait until it is closer to the Olympics in 2008 or shortly thereafter. As another part of the preparation for the big event, the city has implemented a rating scale of public bathrooms at those landmarks to indicate the cleanliness. What an improvement that has been!

In addition to the typical landmarks of Beijing, we also saw “The Legend of Kungfu”, visited the old residential area, the Hutongs, and we had roast duck at Quanjude, the undisputed best roast duck restaurant in Beijing, which was established in 1864. We felt like a million bucks and enjoyed roast duck the way celebrities from all over the world did as shown in the pictures displayed in the restaurant.

A visit to the Great Wall is not something to be missed. We went to Badaling, the most visited and therefore crowded section of this wonder. Over 99% of people that visit the Great Wall go to this spot. Luckily, there was definitely less crowd in the middle of winter. Due to time constraints, my original intention to finally see a part of the Great Wall where the restoration has been minimal, if at all, did not materialize again on this trip.

Harbin
Harbin is the capital city of Heilongjiang (Black Dragon River) Province, the northern most province of China at the border with Russia/Siberia. The Russian influence and heritage can be seen in the architecture of the city. Every year the city hosts ice carving artists from all over the world and they exhibit their skill at the Ice and Lantern Festival. At night the ice sculptures are lit, taking on the various colors of the light. That is what we came here for. More impressive in the sheer size is the Ice and Snow World on Sun Island just outside the city on the Songhua River. Ice blocks were cut and an entire mock city was built, copying some of the famous landmarks from all over the world. Colorful neon lights, depending on the color scheme, were inserted in the ice blocks and lit after dark, creating spectacular views. Some of these ice structures are big enough for people to climb. Another winter attraction there was the snow carving exhibit also on Sun Island that can be enjoyed during the day as well as after dark.

As another highlight in Harbin, we had also lunch at an ice restaurant, where we enjoyed our meal at below freezing temperature. The only food served is hot pot, which at least doesn’t get frozen immediately due to the below freezing temperature.

While we were there, the day temperature climbed to around -10 centigrades below zero under the sun. In the evening and at night, the temperature dipped to around -25 centigrades. Yes, it was cold but I would describe our Harbin trip as once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Shenyang
It was the capital of Manchuria where the last Chinese (Qing) Dynasty originated. Now, Shenyang is another bustling city and the capital of Liaoning Province. Since it is really close to (North) Korea, the Korean influence, at least in the food, was apparent. We visited the imperial palace of the founder of the Qing Dynasty, the tomb of the first Qing emperor and the mansion of Chang Zuo Lin/Chang Xue Liang. About an hour outside the city, there is place called the Magic Slope or Guaipo. Photographically, it is uninteresting but a section of approximately 30m by 80m of a slope that defies gravity. The difference between the high end and the low end of the slope is 1.70m. Although you are definitely on the upslope side but the “magic” gravity force will pull up the slope and you have to apply some effort to go downhill. Our bus driver demonstrated that several times and we also tried that first hand using bikes provided there. What a weird feeling!

The northern part of China is famous for its dumpling. We sampled the best tasting dumpling at Laobian’s, the best dumpling place in town. They served eleven types of dumplings which concluded in pearl dumplings which were put in your bowl by the waiter without looking. The number of dumplings in the scoop will be used to give you (only) good fortune telling.

Dalian
The city is about a little over 100 years old and as such, it is pretty modern. The citizens are proud of the cleanliness of their city, which is indeed quite apparent. We also visited Lushun on the tip of the peninsula at the junction of Bohai and Yellow Sea and also went to Sino-Russo-Japanese war memorials. Dalian is famous for its seafood which we, of course, also sampled.

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