China's frozen city Harbin transforms into tourist hot spot

Government largesse helps draw travelers to winter wonderland

20240123N Harbin

The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival is a well-known attraction of the newly-discovered tourist hotspot. (Photo by Kohei Fujimura)

KOHEI FUJIMURA, Nikkei staff writer

HARBIN, China -- With its icy winters as a draw, Harbin in northeast China has become the latest out-of-the-way destination that Chinese tourists are flocking to.

The sun had already set on a mid-December day, sending the air temperature to nearly minus 30 C. Despite the cold, people lined up at a popsicle shop in the old section of the city, their misty breath visible in the dark.

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