China’s northeast is finally turning ice and snow into silver and gold – with some help

The spectacular tourism boom in Harbin and other parts of Dongbei has sparked hope that the rust belt – the pride of early Chinese industrialisation that has fallen on hard times – may begin to find its feet again

Wei Wei

Published: 7:30pm, 2 Feb, 2024

Why you can trust SCMP

This winter, people in China can be categorised into three groups: those who are in Harbin; those who are on their way to Harbin; and those who are outside Harbin, surfing the internet to follow the latest news about this city and the rest of the northeastern region.

Harbin, the ice city of China’s northeast Heilongjiang province, is no doubt the hottest spot this winter, attracting visitors not just from other parts of China but also overseas.

The Harbin phenomenon has even sparked a ripple effect. The city’s popularity has brought attention to the other two northeastern provinces, Jilin and Liaoning; both are also experiencing a tourism boom.

As a Chinese person, especially someone who was born and lived for 18 years in northeastern China (my hometown is not far from Harbin), I can’t help but express my complicated feelings – and pride – about what is happening in this marvellous region.

The northeast of China, or Dongbei in Chinese, has always been unique. It is not only a region in a geographical sense, but also in a cultural sense. It consists of three provinces and the northeastern part of Inner Mongolia, and the people who live there have a strong self-identity and think of the region as a collective whole.

If you ask a northeasterner where he or she comes from, the answer may not be the specific province of their hometown. He or she would most likely tell you, “I am from Dongbei”.

Dongbei people are famous for their generosity, hospitality, sense of humour and dialect with a strong accent, which is so contagious that – it is said – no one could remain immune from it.

All these characteristics are evident in the reception given to visitors. On social media, people have been sharing the touching moments of visitors’ experiences in Harbin and other northeastern cities. Locals are thanked for their kindness and warmth.

I like this analogy best: Dongbei, as the “eldest son” of the People’s Republic of China, is embracing its younger sisters and brothers and giving them everything it can offer – just as it did decades ago.

In a family, the eldest son shoulders more responsibility in securing the family’s future. And that was exactly the role of Dongbei in the development of the People’s Republic during the first three decades of its establishment.

It was Mao Zedong, the founding father of modern China, who called the region the eldest son of the People’s Republic, during a visit to Harbin in 1950.

Dongbei was the birthplace of China’s industrialisation and once the pride of the country’s industrial development. The northeast region has long served as China’s production base for food, important raw materials, equipment manufacturing and heavy chemical industries. Its oil, coal, timber, food, machinery and equipment were distributed nationwide or sold at low prices under the planned economic system.

The region had its heyday but, as time went by, it fell into decline. Since the 1990s, Dongbei has experienced a drastic economic change. Its resource-guzzling development strategy focusing on heavy industries became obsolete, while its development of new industries lagged. The region has had a hard time adapting to structural reforms and the country’s economic transition.

An oilfield is seen at sunrise in Panjin, in northeast China’s Liaoning province, on January 1. The northeastern region was the birthplace of China’s industrialisation and once the pride of the country’s industrial development. Photo: Xinhua

Meanwhile, the southern parts of China, especially the coastal areas, embarked on fast track development following the reform and opening up.

The Dongbei region is also grappling with population loss and labour shortages, as many young people have left their hometowns in search of better opportunities. In 2020, the total population of northeast China’s three provinces was 98.51 million, a drop of 11 million from 10 years ago.

Yet, China’s eldest son has not given up. Due to its geographical and historical position, the northeast continues to play an irreplaceable part in maintaining China’s defence and food, energy and industrial security. Despite its unbalanced development, the region still has a strong industrial and agricultural foundation.

In 2003, China issued a revitalisation plan for the region, hoping to diversify its economy, improve its environmental protection and reform its state-owned enterprises, among other goals.

Chinese leaders have visited the region numerous times. And, during the “two sessions” meetings in Beijing in 2016, President Xi Jinping told the Heilongjiang delegation that, just like clear waters and green mountains, ice and snow are also as valuable as gold and silver.

And now the ice and snow have indeed turned into silver and gold. It is reported that since the 2023 Ice and Snow Festival, the number of tourists and tourism revenue in Heilongjiang have increased by 332.5 per cent and 898.3 per cent respectively, with many data points breaking records.

Over the New Year’s Day holiday this year, Jilin province received more than 6 million domestic tourists and collected tourism revenues of 5.3 billion yuan (US$737 million), a year-on-year increase of 406.69 per cent and 659.06 per cent respectively. Over the same holiday in Liaoning, the province received over 7 million tourists and nearly 5.2 billion yuan in revenues, a rise of 157.6 per cent and 203.8 per cent respectively.

One touching comment on the internet said that, in the past, the elder brother was the one to support the family, and now it is his turn to feel supported by his younger siblings.

From the bottom of my heart, I hope that Harbin’s winter this year can become the spring of hope for Dongbei’s future.

Wei Wei is the former chief correspondent of the Eurasian bureau of China Central Television, based in Moscow