Harbin Vlog: Snow & Ice Festivals!

January 10-11, 2015
timandglo
While we were in northeastern China, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to travel to Harbin for their world famous annual ice and snow festivals! The fast train can get from Shenyang to Harbin in just three hours. We decided to stay just one night because we knew it would be much colder in Harbin. Fortunately, an overnight trip allows plenty of time to see both festivals, which are in locations about 3 km apart.
We were advised to see the snow festival - ironically located at Sun Island - during the day then head over to the ice festival at night. This was sound advice, which we followed. It should be noted that the snow festival is also worth seeing after sundown; it also utilizes mood lighting to highlight the snow sculptures. But we physically could not stay at Sun Island after sunset because there were no warming stations. We tried going indoors for some hot chocolate and instant wontons, but the shops are ad hoc and do not have good heating.
We took a shared taxi to the site of the ice festival. We have never seen so many enormous - castle size - ice sculptures or such a fantastic use of colored lights! No one can do it like the Chinese can.
We should not that the cost of admissions for both festivals was expensive: 240 RMB/person for the snow festival and 300 RMB/person for the ice festival.
If you have some extra time in Harbin, a visit to St. Sofia Church/Cathedral is highly recommended. This is something we missed.
Also, don't forget face masks to protect against pollution and for added warmth. We each wore two layers on the bottom and 3-4 layers on top. If you find yourself short on winter warmies, check out Uniqlo, which sells an excellent range of fleece-lined and heat tech clothing every winter. In addition, we got good use out of hand warmers that our friends gave us. Apparently you can also get toe warmers and even electric socks in China!
Stay warm! And happy travels!!
Thank you for watching!
Music:
So Wrong by Illenium
/ illenium-so-wrong
Cue by Raym
/ raym-cue

[@skule9106]

Hi! I'm a Harbin native and I really do enjoy an outsider's perspective on my hometown! I liked your video and I will be following your adventures! It is however a little sad that you guys didn't visit the building that earned Harbin the title of China's Moscow: The St.Sofia Cathedral. And don't worry, the temperature wasn't that bad, that is the winter average in Harbin, the legend says the lowest temperature ever taken in Harbin was around -43C, which is about -45F. Once again, I greatly appreciated this video and will definitely check out your other videos!

[@TimGloAdventures]

Thank you for dropping us a line! We are glad to hear that you liked our vlog and will continue to follow our adventures as we live and travel abroad! It is sad that we didn't get to visit Saint Sofia Cathedral. We really wanted to! Most likely next time, we'll make a point of seeing the Cathedral first! Again, thanks for watching! Best, T&G

[@minasahygieneproducts1612]

jia Feng Yu i am visiting to China for 6 Months to 1 year. i will learn Chinese language and culture there in Harbin Engineering University... I am from Pakistan..

[@jonjeong1178]

Good luck in Harbin

[@efreyre84]

You guys are so adorable. Thank you for sharing these videos with us.😊💖

[@TimGloAdventures]

평화 사랑 행복 연민 Awwww thank you for watching! :)

[@leviathan-jy9rl]

Great video guys. This place looks awesome. I really want to go there next time I'm in China.

[@TimGloAdventures]

***** We hope you get to visit in the future! It seems like both festivals get bigger and better every year. Thanks for watching!!

[@mathiasmaranhao]

Awesome. You guys did a great job. A pity you missed the church.

[@TimGloAdventures]

Mathias Maranhão Thank you so much! Yes, we are pretty bummed to have missed the church, but the cold certainly got the better of us on that visit!!! Thank you for watching and take good care, T&G

[@jeffreyshowell1]

I am unable to be there this year thank you very much for the video. My wife is In Harbin and I miss her so dearly. You should go back for the beer festival in the fall.

[@TimGloAdventures]

We are sad to hear that you cannot return to see your wife! However, absence makes the heart grow fonder as they say! Thank you for letting us know about the beer festival and for watching our vlog. Blessings, T&G

[@TravelBuggers]

Once again a kickass video and great song selection.

[@TimGloAdventures]

Travel Buggers Many thanks! Happy to know you enjoyed it! ^^

[@veergupta9232]

your China tour I love it

[@TimGloAdventures]

Thanks for watching! China is full of so many cool places!

[@jeffreyshowell1]

I haven’t seen this video before. Very nice little sister.

[@TimGloAdventures]

Thanks for watching!

[@Steewag]

Reminds me of burning man.. but icey!!!!!!!!!!! Loving the videos!

[@TimGloAdventures]

stephen wagner Thanks for watching! It certainly was ICY COLD there!!! Pack plenty of warmies for that trip!!! :)

[@ritafong8587]

Great job on filming the Sun City! Very nice!

[@TimGloAdventures]

Thank you!!

[@yandenuts]

Great info for us as we are heading there in a few days. Thank you! I've been watching a few KZbin videos about Harbin, and there are a surprising number of people who state that they have been living there for 3 years, 1 year, etc. making comments My previous trips to China, I could not access You Tube, so am curious if these comments have been done via a VPN. An aside.. It is +36C where I am today!! Looking forward to getting away from the heat :-) China is the most wonderful country to travel! It's safe, it's diverse, it's cheap oh I could go on and on..

[@TimGloAdventures]

Yes, China is a fantastic country to explore through travel. We used a VPN while we were living there. Hope you had a blast in Harbin! :)

[@edvias4349]

One of the places i would love to go to.

[@TimGloAdventures]

It's spectacular! Definitely worth a visit. Hope you get to experience it soon!

[@harbindauti392]

I've named Harbin live in Macedonia in Skopje

[@ilankesansiva]

I enjoy your video. I love to see Harbin some day. Keep up your work

[@TimGloAdventures]

Thank you! We hope you get to travel to Harbin to take in the amazing sights and sounds of the Ice Festival for yourself one day! Blessings, Tim and Glo :)

[@dizko321]

Serena harbin

[@dizko321]

Ilankesan Siva

[@elleanore18]

nice camera for capturing the magical ice light

[@TimGloAdventures]

Thank you. We find the Canon S120 and G7x do a great job at capturing night footage! Thanks for watching! T&G

[@zaini3404]

Worderful ice city .. i am so exited to go here soon .. woooww .. waaaa 🤗

[@TimGloAdventures]

Thank you for watching! We hope you have a great time in Harbin! T,G&L

[@jehgelo]

I dream of coming here in the future. I promise that.

[@jonjeong1178]

welcome！

[@TimGloAdventures]

We highly recommend it! It was beautiful and so unique!

[@siewmj1]

it is beautiful

[@TimGloAdventures]

Thank you. The ice festival was amazing to see in person! :)

[@fangqingliu2509]

谢谢楼主，好久没有回去了，有点想家了。

[@Chinareport]

Lovely video guys !!

[@TimGloAdventures]

+ChinaReport.com Thank you so much!!! Glad you enjoyed our vlog! Best, T&G

[@andreasharahap9379]

love your video guys ! I'm going to Harbin this January and it's gonna be a super freezing trip ! and i have been reading all the comments below that's a very good enough information to us to survive the weather , love from Indonesia !

[@TimGloAdventures]

Thank you for watching our vlogs and for the lovely comment! We are excited to hear you are going to Harbin and that you were able to get some solid information to help you plan and prepare for your trip! It will certainly be much colder than Indonesia!!! Best to you, T,G&L

[@KatiePrescott]

I'm in Harbin studying for the next half a year - went to Sun Island this weekend, it's really beautiful in summer too! Looking forward to going back in January to see the snow festival though, although it's going to get cold!

[@TimGloAdventures]

+Katie Prescott Hey! Thanks for watching our vlog and for commenting! Dress WARM for Harbin in the winter!!! Apparently you can get electric socks at the sports shops in Harbin and Shenyang!!! If that isn't of interest to you, we suggest the temporary toe and hand warmers ... we had two each and that wasn't enough!!! LOL. Best wishes to you and enjoy your time in China! T&G

[@KatiePrescott]

+TimGloAdventures Thanks for making the vlog! Haha, yes I've been informed that it gets VERY cold here - I didn't really bring much with me (very limited baggage allowance) so need to do some shopping soon. Wow, didn't know electric socks were a thing but definitely sounds awesome! Thanks for the advice :)

[@PaulChen-nw8ld]

+Katie Prescott wow u r in harbin now？ I am the college student in Harbin University Of Science And Technology

[@KatiePrescott]

+Paul Chen Hi Paul! Yeah, I'm currently in Harbin, studying at the Harbin Institute of Technology :) I'm just here for one semester, mainly studying Chinese - what do you study?

[@PaulChen-nw8ld]

Haha,that's pretty cool, it is a great University.I have a lot of friends in there. And I majored in computer science,what about u?

[@autechren]

funny.. here in germany the train ( 0:46 ) is called ICE :-D (the Model is the ICE 3 "InterCity Express")

[@TimGloAdventures]

Hopefully some day we'll get a chance to visit Germany and ride the ICE!

[@autechren]

if that would be possible, I would recommend the route Bingen > Koblenz to you.. driving along the Rhine, vineyards and medieval castles.. :-) One of the most beautiful routes through Germany, I guess.

[@Wayfaringwanderersofficial]

Really great you two! We visited the festival this year, and put out a video on our channel. What was your favorite part when you visited?

[@TimGloAdventures]

Cheers! Glad you got to experience Harbin for yourself! We loved the ice buildings and structures that were lit up at night. It looked so magical, but it was soooooooo COLD outside! All in all a fab trip! Thanks for watching and for dropping us a line!

[@christinas.4342]

Cool video but I can't stop thinking about Unit 731 :\

[@janicelow5720]

Hi, thank you for the video and it's amazing. It's so beautiful. I am going this Dec and heard it will be -20. Can you give me some advice on clothing as never been to such a cold place. My daughter is 8 and worried she cannot take it

[@TimGloAdventures]

We recommend toe and hand warmers, electric/thermal socks, and thick leggings that are lined with fleece as an additional bottom layer. The toughest part of the biting cold was losing feeling in our toes, so it will help A LOT if you wear electric socks and/or put toe warmers in your shoes. If these items aren't available where you currently are, then rest assured that the will be easy to acquire in Harbin or even Shenyang and probably Beijing. Also, don't forget to bring face masks, which served the dual purpose of filtering polluted air and keeping your face warm! :D

[@lintaolu8202]

5年前我也在这儿，时间好快

[@TimGloAdventures]

That was a great adventure for us! We loved visiting Harbin! Thanks for watching!

[@MOHAMMED-kingdom]

amazing vlogs

[@TimGloAdventures]

Thank you for watching our vlogs and for your positive feedback! We are so glad to know you like them! Take care, T,G&L

[@MOHAMMED-kingdom]

+TimGloAdventures thanks

[@crs9024]

I have really enjoyed your video. However, I found the loud electronic music aggravating. Perhaps you could put the music in the background. Thanks for the tour.

[@TimGloAdventures]

Thanks for the feedback! We used to use a lot of loud, annoying music because it was the only non-copyright music we could find. There's a lot more variety now. But we'll definitely try to keep the volume down. :)

[@janicelow5720]

Heattech from Uniqlo is good enough? A Fleece top, a vest and a down jacket...good enough? Tks

[@TimGloAdventures]

Please refer to our response to your other comment for advice on clothing. But in general, the more layers the better! I think Glo had four layers on top and two on the bottom. It was similar for me, and we could have done with more, especially on our feet. Hope you have a wonderful time!!

[@muyun9525]

Gorgeous glo！

[@TimGloAdventures]

Thank you!

[@muyun9525]

+TimGloAdventures Tim is So lucky to marry a Beautiful woman！

[@travellingco]

Nice video! We will be going to Harbin next year Feb 7-11. I read your comment below regarding electric socks, where in Harbin can we buy them? Are they available anywhere? Thanks!

[@TimGloAdventures]

We actually didn't buy electric socks ourselves but heard that they're widely available in shops during the winter. Good luck! Hope you have a blast!

[@sallygozaly8581]

i've been got there! its s cooold! and i've made a snowball!!!

[@TimGloAdventures]

+Sally Gozaly Harbin is indeed a very, very, very cold place!!! The coldest I have been to yet!!! Thanks for watching and posting, T&G :)

[@shanky2609]

Great and informative video. Thanks for sharing. You guys are cute :)

[@TimGloAdventures]

+Shashank Khurana Glad you found our vlog informative! Thanks for watching! Best, T&G

[@shanky2609]

Great Videos. Keep shooting and sharing :) Happened to watch 3 hours straight, including the India Vlog. Came to know that Glorya has that Indian dream of being invited to an Indian wedding. :) I am an Indian, currently based in Beijing. If you guys are yet to attend one, I would be glad to do the honours or inviting you to my wedding, whenever that happens :)

[@TimGloAdventures]

+Shashank Khurana That's so kind of you! That would be amazing. Keep in touch! :)

[@shanky2609]

+TimGloAdventures > My Phone no. is 13120345511. IF you guys happen to be in Beijing anytime soon, let me know. I might be leaving China in April.

[@saarland2china]

Very nice video about Harbin! I am living here for 3 years now, it really is a beautiful city! If you have any questions about Harbin, check out my channel and send me a message!

[@kungfucooking7567]

this man is white-yellow mix?

[@TimGloAdventures]

Hi! Yes, I am 1/2 Irish, 1/2 Chinese, 100% South African. ;) Thanks for watching! - Tim

[@kungfucooking7567]

TimGloAdventures thank you,you are handsome.persons of mixed blood are all handsome.

[@TimGloAdventures]

You are very kind! Thanks! Best, Tim

[@Anna-px7hg]

WOW!

[@TimGloAdventures]

Spectacular, right?! We've never seen anything else like it. Hope you'll get to experience it too!

[@bigapplechinglish]

what kind/brand face mask did you use/wear ? thx... great job on vblog...

[@TimGloAdventures]

We used the disposable 3M face masks. We liked that they have filters in them. Thank you for watching and commenting! :)

[@bigapplechinglish]

thx much for info...happy coming Chinese New Year w/ best wishes

[@KenGold666]

i wish i had a cute east-asian girlfriend like Glo

[@TimGloAdventures]

Ken Cheung Glo certainly is a treasure and brings so much joy into my life! :) Thanks for watching our vlog and all the best to you!!! - Tim :)

[@KenGold666]

TimGloAdventures thanks man, you guys have a good thing together

[@veergupta9232]

hellow I am from India and I love your smile and I want to meet you

[@TimGloAdventures]

Thank you for your kind comment!

[@user-sk9fq3vr3z]

Hi ,Girl !You are so beautiful! I love you!

[@TimGloAdventures]

Thank you for watching and for your kind words! :)