Sun Island Scenic Area

River islet of "northern scenery" (Russian Style Town / Squirrel Island), winter Snow Expo (snow sculpture art show, one of the world's largest snow sculpture groups); summer wetlands and picnics. Sun Island, a river islet on the north bank of the Songhua River, became famous in the early 20th century when Russian emigres came here to escape the summer heat with picnics, and Zheng Xulan's song "On Sun Island" made this representative island of "northern scenery" famous. The Russian Style Town and Squirrel Island each have their own charm, and in summer the wetland boardwalks and lawn picnics are Harbiners' everyday escape from the heat. The winter Snow Expo is Sun Island's annual headliner: hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of snow are piled and sculpted into a giant snow sculpture group, ranking among the world's largest; admission approx. CNY 240 charged separately. Reach it directly by Metro Line 2 or take the river-crossing cable car (CNY 30) for an aerial crossing; "snow sculptures by day, ice sculptures by night (Ice and Snow World)" is the classic winter day in Harbin, and each season has its own pleasures.

Getting there: Metro Line 2, Taiyangdao Station / river-crossing cable car CNY 30