Immerse yourself in the beauty of Heilongjiang

The beautiful silver lake is like a legend

Departing from Ho Chi Minh City, we went to Mudanjiang, where there is Jingbo Lake, a natural masterpiece of northeastern China. This is the largest mountain lake in China, located in the upper reaches of the Mudan River in the Huanda Mountains in Heilongjiang Province. Jingbo Lake has an area of ​​about 95 km2 with a length of 45 km from north to south and a width of 6 km from east to west. The depth of the lake in the northern area reaches 65 m and is almost completely frozen in winter when the temperature sometimes drops to minus 25-30oC. The lake was formed 10,000 years ago, when a volcanic eruption in the area blocked the flow of the Mudan River. The north of the river flows down to the 40 m high Diao Shui Lou waterfall, forming the lake. Jingbo Lake is famous for its rugged limestone cliffs, similar to Guilin's mountains and rivers, and its turquoise waters are home to more than 40 species of freshwater fish and corals.

It took us about 3 hours to travel by car from Mudanjiang Railway Station to Jingbo Lake. At this time, Heilongjiang had entered mid-winter, the howling winds passing through the high mountains made the snow clumps cling restlessly to the bare branches. From afar, we saw Jingbo Lake as a giant mirror, the closer we got, the more sparkling it was like gold sand reflected by the sun's rays. The car stopped at the bus stop and the driver did not forget to remind us to prepare warm clothes before leaving the car. Today, we experienced the lake by a tractor pulling dozens of floats for tourists to sit on. First of all, we had to keep our balance when moving on the ice to the sleds, we were advised to sit opposite to the direction of travel to avoid the cold wind that could cause body frostbite and frostbite. The temperature was -27oC. My fingertips were numb, my nose was red like a clown in a circus costume. The bus started moving, which meant the cold was getting worse, but the tourists were still cheering. The bus wound around the ice markers, sometimes kicking up a blanket of snow into the tourists’ faces. The nature was harsh, but the people here still had to work. Some catered to the small number of tourists in the winter, others continued fishing in the cold, sometimes lasting until April.

We moved to the middle of the lake and heard one of the oral stories of the local people about Kinh Bac Lake. Long ago, in this lake, there was an old widowed fisherman living with his daughter named Jin Jing. As she grew older, the girl became more and more beautiful with big eyes and a face as bright as a golden mirror, along with her talent in embroidery and fishing that was famous throughout the area. The young men in the village all wished to marry the girl. Nearby, three sea monsters appeared, often creating fierce waves that sank the fishermen's boats. The lives of the people in the lake area became increasingly miserable and dark. The old man then announced to find three young men in the village, using three swords to go with him and his daughter to kill the sea monsters. Whoever could kill them, he would marry his daughter Jin Jing. However, in the decisive battle, the three young men of the village revealed their weak nature and it was the girl who took the sword and jumped into the fierce water to kill the ferocious monsters with her own hands. At the end of the war, Jin Jing also began to feel tired and gradually sank into the lake with the last fierce waves. From then on, the lake's surface became as sparkling as the girl's face. People said that she herself had transformed into the lake. To remember her, the villagers used her name to name the lake Kinh Bac. Later, the Kinh Bac lake area became peaceful and prosperous all year round. They harvested a lot of fish and believed that it was the beautiful and virtuous girl Jin Jing who had blessed them for thousands of years.

The car stopped so we could observe a fishing family pulling their nets on the lake. To catch fish in the winter, fishermen usually dig two large holes about 0.5 m in diameter and 100 - 150 m apart on the thick ice. Underneath the ice, they fix a thin net at both ends. Then, the fish will get caught in the net and every morning, they just need to pull up the net to sometimes harvest dozens of large fish of all sizes. This is their main source of food, especially in the winter. People told us that when coming to Kinh Bac Lake, you must enjoy the red-tailed fish, with white meat, steamed with some local spices to create a famous dish suitable for cold days. Since ancient times, fish in Kinh Bac Lake have been considered a premium food for the emperors. Of course, after that, we enjoyed our fill of some fish dishes prepared by the restaurant from the fishermen's nets. Indeed, Kinh Bac Lake not only provides food in the summer but also when everything seems to be frozen, lifeless like the harsh winter here.

FAIRY TALE SNOW VILLAGE

Snow Village is located in Mudanjiang City, about 280 km southeast of Harbin City. Located at an altitude of 1,200 m above sea level, this area is affected by two cold air currents from Siberia and Japan blowing in from the sea. Surrounded by mountains, the snowfall here is heavy, lasting from October to May of the following year, with an average thickness of up to 2 m. In particular, the snow here is fluffy and highly adhesive, so we can admire the "snow curtains" hanging from the roofs, falling down close to the ground or spinning like ice threads hanging from the branches.

The Snow Village has a total of three entrances in three different directions: Mudanjiang, Wuchang, and Yabuli. Visitors can choose the entrance depending on their starting point. If visitors depart from Harbin by bus, it takes about 6 hours to reach the Snow Village; or take a train from Harbin to Mudanjiang for 2 to 6 hours - depending on whether it is a fast or regular train, then take a bus to the Snow Village for about 3 more hours. In addition, visitors can also take a bus from Changchun or Jilin to the Snow Village, which takes about 8 hours. Of course, our journey starts from Mudanjiang.

We used the common ticket to the snow village, which is valid for two days and is checked by facial recognition for each entry and exit. This helps control the number of visitors as well as ensure their safety when experiencing the snow village area. I had to take off my fur hat and glasses to make it easier for the machine to recognize me after a few problems because the machine could not recognize my face. Renting a bedroom in the snow village is also an issue that needs to be prepared, especially during the peak season. We had to book the bedroom service 2 months in advance because the number of visitors who want to sleep in the snow village is increasing. Many domestic tourist groups had to sleep outside the village because they did not book rooms in advance or did not have enough rooms for a large group of visitors. The bedrooms here are quite comfortable with clean blankets and pillows, especially the heating system works very well, the hot and cold water system is available for visitors to use. If we request, the owner can prepare and serve local specialties.

The current snow village is quite well planned with a main road, surrounded by small roads with clear signs. On both sides of the road are souvenir shops or food stalls, fragrant coffee and tea shops serving until late at night, dog sleds waiting for visitors to experience in the winter. After checking in and preparing more warm clothes, we followed the paths leading up the mountain slopes to take panoramic photos of the snow village at night. The colorful lanterns will make the snow village become a magical fairy tale world. In front of the wooden houses covered with snow, the homeowners often hang golden corn strings, these are the spoils of harvest in the summer. They use corn partly to raise livestock and decorate their houses to make them more cozy and lively when winter is covered with pure white everywhere. If visitors want to get closer to the giant snow mushrooms, they can spend a few hundred yuan to buy tickets to enter the private sightseeing area inside the snow village, take pictures freely, and watch the traditional "Erren Zhuan" drama performance of Northeast China. When night falls, the snow village begins its festive moment with lion dances, fireworks, hot water splashing to create a unique freezing effect, campfire exchanges with local people; or wait to see reindeer, horses, goats, and sheep parade on the main road to welcome visitors and signal a prosperous and happy winter for the people here.

The temperature dropped as the night progressed, but that did not discourage us. The snow village became more sparkling under the clear, starry sky. The bars and shops began to bustle. A group of young Chinese people were enjoying the grilled sweet potatoes and hot boiled corn, while some children were eating naturally frozen ice cream or sweet candied hawthorns. We found a small restaurant to stay warm and did not forget to order a bottle of Harbin beer with spicy grilled meat skewers. The space of the snow village seemed to come out of a fairy tale, for both adults and children.

MORE INFORMATION

• Visa:If you have a permanent residence from Da Nang to the North, submit your visa application directly at the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi; if you have a permanent residence from Quang Nam to the South, submit it at the Chinese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City; or through Chinese visa application services for more convenience.
• Trip:There are many airlines operating flights from Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi to Beijing every day. From Beijing, there are also daily domestic flights to Harbin or you can choose to go by train to Harbin or Mudanjiang.
• Weather:Winter temperatures in Heilongjiang Province are very low, with cold weather and frequent snowfall. The average temperature is -15 to -25 degrees Celsius, sometimes dropping to over minus 30 degrees at night.
• Accommodation:You can go to some online booking websites to book rooms in Mudanjiang, Wusong and Harbin. Wusong is just a small town, so most of the guesthouses only have relative services for tourists to enjoy the phenomenon of frost flowers that only appears in winter. For Snow Village, you should go to Chinese websites to book rooms early, at least 3 months before the trip.
• Cuisine:Lamb, beef, especially Tibetan beef are popular foods of the people, they are often processed into dried or smoked meat which is very fragrant and delicious. Don't forget to try the feeling of eating a cup of ice cream in the snow village, enjoy the fish specialties in the Jingbo Lake area and the spicy mushroom hotpot in Harbin city.
• Note:

- You should prepare altitude sickness medicine, thermal clothing, leather or down jacket, gloves, socks and thermal pads.

- Due to the relatively low temperature, most electronic devices run out of battery very quickly. You need to prepare a fully charged battery, bring a spare charger and always keep these devices warm.

• Some activities not to be missed:

- Fishing with locals on Kinh Bac Lake

- Watching the sunrise on the mountain in the snow village

- Take pictures with the phenomenon of hot water freezing

- Dog sledding

- Watching dew flowers in Vu Tung

- See the ice sculpture exhibition in Harbin…

• Reference cost:25 million VND/person, for groups of 8 people.

Nguyen Hoang Bao