THE ALLURE OF THE BITTER COLD

The surge of international visitors to Harbin reveals a growing appetite for travel shaped by seasons, not comfort.

- Text and photos by AA PATAWARAN

I remember the flight descending into Harbin like a dream that only turned into reality when the wheels kissed the frozen earth.

I flew China Eastern from Manila via Shanghai, but in my mind I was on the Trans-Siberian Express, crossing 9,000 kilometers of terrain that collapses time and geography into one long act of movement. That journey led me to a city where winter is not a season but a language spoken through breath, posture, and endurance. I came to Harbin to feel what it means to exist inside the cold and to understand why people willingly travel to places that bite the skin with frost.

Harbin, the so-called Ice City, recorded more than 90 million tourist visits during the 2024-2025 winter season, generating over 137 billion yuan in revenue. International arrivals surged by nearly 95 percent as Russians, Japanese, Koreans, and travelers from ASEAN countries arrived in search of ice and snow. Harbin Ice and Snow World alone drew a record-breaking 3.56 million visits, numbers that would feel abstract if you were not standing there, eyelashes crusted with frost, surrounded by visitors who had come precisely for that discomfort.