PR87984

HARBIN, China, Feb. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

For Chinese people, Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, is a time for family

reunion. No matter how far they are away from their hometowns, people would

return home to spend the festival with their family and friends. However, the

2021 Spring Festival is a bit unusual--many have chosen to "stay local" and

spend the festival where they work to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In this

context, the internet becomes a choice for people to exchange New Year

greetings.

The people of Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, began

sending greetings via online platforms in a unique local way to their relatives

and friends who choose to spend Spring Festival elsewhere.  

On February 4, the "Lesser New Year" on the Chinese lunar calendar, Harbin

launched an online event themed "Let's Laugh Together." Organizers released

several Spring Festival posters and creative emojis that feature landmarks and

winter sights of Harbin, as a way to express sincere greetings and good wishes

from the "city of ice and snow."

To meet people's demand for cultural products and services during Spring

Festival, Harbin has organized more than 200 online cultural activities in four

categories: cloud performance, cloud exhibition, cloud tourism, and

livestreaming. Though miles apart, people can enjoy high-quality original

dramas, ballets, evening galas and orchestral concerts online, without the need

to leave their homes. Moreover, traditional celebration activities such as folk

dance, folklore lectures, and lantern riddles are also moved online.

Abundant ice and snow resources are Harbin's privileged assets. In previous

years, citizens and tourists celebrated Spring Festival by visiting the Harbin

Ice and Snow World or skating on the iced Songhua River. This year, to make up

for the regret that people cannot experience ice and snow on site, Harbin plans

to present an online tourism activity via new media platforms, which will allow

net users to have a glimpse of the charm of Harbin and watch world-class shows

staged in the Harbin Polar Land and oil painting exhibitions of renowned

Russian artists, among many others, for free. Besides, five museums including

the Museum of Heilongjiang Province will provide VR panoramic exhibitions, and

11 museums will present online exhibitions via the WeChat platform during this

year's Spring Festival.

Harbin already developed a new Spring Festival custom integrating culture and

tourism in 2019, enabling locals and tourists to experience the charm of the

city while enjoying the joyful atmosphere of the festival.

As night falls, numerous red lanterns and colorful lamps light up the

Russian-style Central Boulevard, creating a festive ambience. Golden corn, red

chili and red paper carrying Chinese character "Fu" ("happiness") add a folk

flavor to the Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo. The

Yingjie Snow Dreamland full of rural flavor and the Sunac Snow Park with a

European style are attracting visitors with their intriguing charm.

SOURCE:Information Office of The Municipal Government of Harbin