Russian-style town
Colourful wooden houses.
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A green river island in the Songhua opposite central Harbin, whose scenic area and surrounding protected zone cover 88 square kilometres of woods, lakes and wetland; it is the city's summer playground and, in winter, home to the famous snow sculpture expo. In the early twentieth century Russian émigrés built summer villas here, picnicking on the island and swimming in the river; a «Russian-style town» of colourful wooden houses survives, and the island became famous across China after the 1979 song «On Sun Island». Its main park holds Swan Lake, the Sun Waterfall, Squirrel Island and a deer garden, and a giant panda house opened in 2026; in winter it hosts the Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo, with huge sculptures carved from snow. Entry to the island is free outside the snow season, with some gardens and activities paid separately, and the snow expo ticket in 2025–26 was about CNY 198, per visitor guides. You can cross by the bridges or by the cable car over the river from the promenade opposite in Stalin Park.
Colourful wooden houses.
And the Sun Waterfall.
In winter.
Songbei District, north bank of the Songhua River, Harbin
Yes, entry is free outside the snow season, with some gardens and activities paid separately; the winter snow sculpture expo cost about CNY 198 in 2025–26, per visitor guides.