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