China Northeast Harbin Turns Natural Ice Resources into Economic Gains

HARBIN, China, Nov. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Harbin Ice and Snow World, one of the world's largest ice and snow theme parks, will open in advance in the first half of December, local authorities announced. The ever-early opening of the park will kick off the 180-day-long snow tourism season in Harbin, the capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province and the host of the 2025 Asian Winter Games.

The park is now working on the early construction to ensure the early opening. Its 100,000 cubic meters of natural ice, selected during the last snow season and stored for a whole year, set a record for the most enormous amount of ice ever. 

Harbin has a unique geographical location that provides it with a five-month ice and snow carnival. Here, ice and snow are a natural resource, cultural symbol, economic power, and innovation engine.

Over the years, Harbin has been developing the entire industrial chain of ice and snow sports, culture, equipment and tourism and has succeeded in discovering new economic growth in cold resources. From 2022 to 2023, Harbin's total ice and snow economy scale exceeded 70 billion RMB (about 9.8 billion USD), accounting for more than that of 25 percent in Heilongjiang Province. 

In addition to the birth of many well-known Winter Olympics champions in Harbin, the participation of the general public in ice and snow activities also ranks 1st in China. In recent years, Harbin has promoted the development of ice and snow sports in society by creating an ecological circle of ice and snow sports and building ice and snow sports venues. Currently, the city has more than 30 ski resorts and 530 ice rinks in primary and secondary schools. Everyone participates, loves, and helps build a "Healthy Harbin" with ice and snow sports. 

The city has ranked first in 'China's Top 10 Ice and Snow Tourism Cities' for five consecutive years and listed in the top 10 of "China's most sought-after cities by tourists worldwide". Accompanied by many international exchange activities such as the "Sun Island Annual Conference" and "Harbin Summer Music Concert". 

Under the revitalization of Northeast China in the new era, Harbin, a "pearl on Eurasia", has built a channel for cultural exchange and, at the same time, welcomed the arrival of world tourists with its geographical and multi-cultural advantages.