As Harbin City, in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, becomes a popular winter tourism destination, many of its distinctive innovative cultural products have seen a sales boom, driving a surge in the ice and snow economy.
Eating ice cream has become a popular treat for tourists who visit Harbin in winter. One standout brand, offering ice cream flavored with traditional Chinese medicine, has sparked a wave of enthusiasm among both locals and visitors alike.
“It looks delicious — ice cream infused with traditional Chinese medicine. I think since traditional Chinese medicine is a part of China’s rich cultural heritage, it’s interesting to see it in an ice cream,” said Zhao Zhile, a tourist from Shandong Province in eastern China.
This Chinese medicine ice cream and tea shop named Zhongqishizu blends popular treats favored by young people, such as ice cream and beverages, with unique agricultural products from Heilongjiang, including ginseng, Lingzhi, and hazelnuts. These ingredients are creatively transformed into ice cream and tea. Launched in May 2024, the brand has quickly expanded, opening over 20 stores across 19 cities in 13 Chinese provinces in less than a year. Its average daily sales reach approximately 100,000 yuan (about 13,600 U.S. dollars).
“This winter, we also launched our traditional Chinese medicine tea. We have created three to four gourd-shaped kettles to hold our tea, hoping to bring warmth to our customers’ hands when they hold the kettle and to their bodies after drinking the tea in this cold winter. Currently, we are preparing to set up our own factory. It is estimated that our ice cream sales will reach 100 million yuan (about 13.6 million U.S. dollars) in the next year, and 300 million yuan (about 40.9 million U.S. dollars) in the next three to five years,” said Shen Xiaodi, manager of Zhongqishizu.
Another best-selling product in the city is a fridge magnet that incorporates augmented reality (AR) technology to bring its stunning landscapes to life. Since its launch, the sales of this fridge magnet have exceeded 20 million yuan (about 2.7 million U.S. dollars) in just one year.
“Our design is inspired by the scenic spots in Harbin. We are the first to apply AR technology to fridge magnets. Customers can scan it with their mobile phones to appreciate the unique landscapes of Harbin. Since this product gained popularity last year, it has contributed to the growth of the innovative cultural products market in Harbin. We are now the largest supplier in the city, and around 30 innovative cultural product producers cooperate with us,” said Yu Haichao, director of the marketing department of Longyue Culture and Tourism Company.
Winter in Harbin is long and cold, with the lowest temperature in a year at about minus 30 degree Celsius. For those who are unable to stand the extreme cold, students from Harbin Institute of Technology have designed a heated down jacket to help them stay warm during the bitterly cold winter months.
“This intelligent, temperature-controlled down jacket is powered by a portable power bank. As you can see, it features a switch that allows us to adjust the heating to 55, 50, 45, or 40 degrees Celsius,” said Zhou Yang, a doctoral student at the School of Electrical Engineering and Automation of Harbin Institute of Technology.
To promote the integration of innovative cultural product design with various industries, Harbin has established the Harbin Creative Design Center, home to 41 design institutions. The term ‘Erbin,’ a popular nickname for Harbin, has been registered as a trademark, and the Erbin Gift Store has been launched.
“Through our creative design, we aim to empower the ice and snow economy, strengthen the city’s cultural tourism brand, and enhance Harbin’s popularity, hoping to leverage this recognition to drive ice and snow consumption,” said Wang Minglai, a designer at the Erbin Gift Store.
Winter tourism boom drives surge in sales of innovative cultural products, boosting ice, snow economy
The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) warned on Sunday that lingering dry weather and strong winds in Southern California will hamper firefighting efforts against the devastating disaster which has killed 16.
Extremely dry vegetation, combined with prolonged fire weather conditions, could cause the rapid spread of both new and existing wildfires, further exacerbating instability, the NWS said.
Los Angeles and Ventura counties have issued a red flag warning through Wednesday evening, indicating that local weather conditions could lead to extreme fire risk.
The NWS predicts cooler temperatures, increased humidity, and possibly light rain by next weekend, which could help alleviate fire conditions.
On Sunday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said law enforcement has confirmed 14 deaths and also received 16 reports of missing people in the county, adding the number would differ in other departments’ calculation.
A total of 192,000 residents may have to leave at a moment’s notice — with evacuation orders in place for 105,000, and 87,000 in evacuation warning zones.
According to local fire control authorities on Sunday, containment of the deadly Eaton Fire, which has claimed 11 lives so far, has increased from 15 percent to 27 percent.
Meanwhile, the Kenneth Fire is fully contained, and the Hurst Fire has reached 89 percent containment, authorities said.
The Palisades Fire has burned 96 square kilometers from 87 the previous day and remains at 11% containment, according to official release on Sunday.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said in an interview on Sunday that disaster relief efforts will be completed within the next few weeks to assist residents with processing insurance claims. He added that major contracts will be signed to remove debris and manage hazardous materials.
California fires remain unstable as dry, windy weather persists: authority
