Snowed-in houses
Deep drifts.
Chen Wu — CC BY 2.0 · EditQ — CC0 · EditQ — CC0 · EditQ — CC0 · EditQ — CC0 · EditQ — CC0 · 江上清风1961 — CC BY 3.0 · 江上清风1961 — CC BY 3.0
A small forest village at the Shuangfeng forest farm in Hailin, part of Mudanjiang, in the mountains of north-east China, famous as «China Snow Town» because cold air from Lake Baikal meets moisture from the Sea of Japan here, so snow falls for about seven months a year and the average yearly snowfall reaches some 2.6 m. Deep snow piles up on the roofs of the wooden houses, the fences and the forest around, and in the evening red lanterns and coloured lights glow over the snow-covered houses, turning the main street into a fairy-tale scene; visitors stay in traditional wooden guesthouses with heated kang beds. Tickets are about CNY 120 in the season, which usually begins in late November and lasts until March depending on the snow, per visitor guides. The road from Harbin or Mudanjiang takes several hours, so most visitors stay at least one night.
Deep drifts.
After dark.
Heated beds.
Shuangfeng forest farm, Changting town, Hailin, Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang
Usually in late November, lasting until March; December and January are best, and the cold is severe, so bring heavy winter clothing.
The village's well-known dishes often include pork, so ask about ingredients or bring food; Harbin has Hui Muslim restaurants under the halal sign.