6-day Beijing-Harbin Winter Tour

After arriving in Beijing, our staff will be waiting for you at the airport and send you to the hotel for check-in and rest. You can also explore the area around Beijing on your own if you have the time.

Climbing the Mutianyu Great Wall in winter, it's covered in snow, fully living up to its reputation as "Mutianyu's Unique Beauty Among the Great Wall". We'll take the cable car up to Watchtower No.14, and you can admire the snow-cloaked Great Wall winding like a giant dragon along the way. Upon arrival, the guide will arrange for you to climb east or west according to your preference. The east route leads to the highest point at Watchtower No.20 and go back by cable car, taking less time; the west route passes 5 climbing spots and takes more time. At the final station of the west route, we'll arrange a toboggan or cable car down the mountain based on your needs. Note that for winter climbing, prepare non-slip shoes, gloves and a hat to keep out the cold wind.

Cable car

Toboggan

Climbing Great Wall

Group Photo of Mutianyu Great Wall

In the afternoon, we'll head to the Temple of Heaven, a sacred site for imperial sacrifices to heaven during the Ming and Qing dynasties. With fewer tourists in winter, you can quietly appreciate the solemnity and symmetrical beauty of the ancient architecture. The core attractions include the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Echo Wall and the Circular Mound Altar. Its blue tiles and golden roof stand out especially under the clear winter sky, and the acoustic wonder of the Echo Wall is well worth experiencing. Tall ancient cypresses line the garden; wandering through them allows you to escape the urban hustle and bustle. We'll enter from the East Gate and exit through the West Gate, passing by scenic spots like the Seven-Star Stones and the Red Stairway Bridge along the way.

Temple of Heaven

Your Journey's Rewards:

Admire the snow-covered grandeur of the Great Wall in winter, explore the cultural heritage of Ming and Qing dynasty heaven worship rituals, experience the symmetrical aesthetics of ancient architecture, and encounter the unique blend of snow and history.

Educational Focus:

The acoustic wonder of the Echo Wall at the Temple of Heaven is not a product of modern technology. Ancient craftsmen achieved long-distance sound transmission through architectural design alone, without the aid of instruments. What is the scientific principle behind this?

Takeaway:

The Echo Wall at the Temple of Heaven creates its acoustic magic through smart architectural and geometric design. Built with hard, smooth bricks, its circular walls have even curvature and a flat surface that cuts down on sound wave energy loss. A closed space is formed by the roughly 6-meter height and curved roof, making sound waves bounce continuously along the wall's tangent instead of spreading out. Emitted close to the wall, sound travels far distances directly after bouncing multiple times. The circular shape also shortens the transmission path and lessens attenuation, finally enabling long-distance sound travel. This is a classic example of ancient craftsmen blending acoustic rules with architectural uses through observation and practice—a clever use of natural physical phenomena.

Thoughts Challenge:

Does the practical wisdom of ancient architecture—seamlessly blending natural laws with real use—still have untapped value and application room in modern design that chases efficiency and convenience?

In the morning, we'll head to Tian'anmen Square for a visit. If you're interested in the flag-raising ceremony, you need to get up early—arriving at Tiananmen Square between 5 and 6 a.m. will secure a better viewing spot. Afterwards, we'll pass through Tiananmen Gate and enter the Forbidden City. We'll visit the main buildings of the Outer Court and Inner Court, all located on the central axis. Entering from the Meridian Gate, you'll sequentially pass through the Gate of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the "Treasures of the Qing Palace", the Hall of Central Harmony, the Hall of Preserving Harmony, the Gate of Heavenly Purity, the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union, the Palace of Earthly Tranquility and the Imperial Garden, before exiting through the Gate of Divine Might.

Tian’anmen Square

Forbidden City

After lunch, we will take a high-speed train to Harbin. Upon arriving in Harbin in the evening, the tour guide will pick you up and take you to the hotel for check-in. During the journey, the tour guide will explain the itinerary arrangements for Harbin, so you can have a detailed understanding of your upcoming trip. You can also ask the tour guide anytime if you have any questions about the itinerary.

Your Journey's Rewards:

Visit the majestic buildings of Tiananmen Square and explore the central axis architectural layout of the Forbidden City.

Educational Focus:

How are functional boundaries divided by the architectural layout of the Forbidden City's Outer and Inner Courts, arranged along the central axis?

Takeaway:

The layout of the outer court and inner court of the Forbidden City along the central axis clearly demarcates boundaries based on functional attributes. The outer court, located to the south of the central axis, centers on the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. It serves as a public space for the emperor to hold grand ceremonies and make political decisions, catering to state affairs. The inner court, situated to the north of the central axis, primarily consists of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Jiaotai Hall, Palace of Earthly Tranquility, and the Imperial Garden. It is a private area for the emperor and empress to reside, conduct daily life, and hold small sacrificial rituals, focusing on courtly life.

Thoughts Challenge:

Contemporary design increasingly emphasizes spatial flexibility and inclusiveness, so can the functional zoning logic of the Forbidden City's "Outer Court for state affairs and Inner Court for daily life" offer new ideas for solving the problem of overlapping functions in modern spaces?

In the morning, check in at St. Sophia Cathedral first. This Byzantine-style building appears even more romantic against the winter snow scenery. You can enter the cathedral to appreciate its exquisite murals and sculptural architecture. The swarming pigeons on the square are also a sight worth seeing. Then take a stroll along Zhongyang Street, this century-old street is lined with European-style buildings. You can try Russian-style blood sausages and black bread, and visit century-old shops such as Qiulin Kvass Centennial Cultural Center to taste authentic kvass craft beer. Next, head to the Flood Control Memorial Tower to enjoy the frozen beauty of the Songhua River. Then walk along the riverside to the Railway Bridge, stand on the bridge and overlook the frozen river surface, feeling the fusion of industrial style and natural landscape.

St. Sophia Cathedral

Zhongyang Street

Flood Control Memorial Tower

Songhua River Railway Bridge

In the afternoon, we'll take the Songhua River Cableway across the river and enjoy the winter river scenery from above. After arriving at Sun Island, we'll first visit the Snow Sculpture Art Garden to admire various large-scale snow sculpture works with distinct shapes. Then we'll head to the Panda House to interact with and take photos of the cute pandas through the glass. In the evening, we'll go to Harbin Ice and Snow World, a winter-exclusive dreamy paradise. Here, you can admire landscapes like ice sculpture castles and ice slides, and experience activities such as ice bikes and snowmobiles. When night falls, the lit-up ice sculptures are crystal clear, and you can also enjoy wonderful light shows and performances.

Your Journey's Rewards:

Experience the charm of Byzantine architecture, savor Russian cuisine, admire the wonders of snow and ice sculptures, meet the cute giant pandas, and feel the diverse integration of ice and snow with humanistic culture, nature with industry.

Educational Focus:

How do the ice sculpture architecture and activity design of Harbin Ice and Snow World achieve a deep adaptation with artistic appreciation, entertainment experience, and the winter natural environment?

Takeaway:

Harbin Ice and Snow World hasHarbin Ice and Snow World has created a huge area that combines art, fun, and nature. It is based on the ice and snow that are there in the winter. Ice sculptures are made by carving natural ice blocks into different shapes. They look like real ice and snow, they shine more in the light, and they are works of art. Ice cycling and snowmobiling are two examples of activities that use the unique properties of ice and snow to make the experience more fun. The project's location and construction make sure that the ice sculptures will last a long time and not fall over when it's very cold. The activity plans also take into account how well people can handle the cold. This is a good adaptation because it makes good use of the natural world: "the environment empowers the project, and the project highlights the environment."

Thoughts Challenge:

Seasonal attractions like the Ice and Snow World depend on certain natural environments to stay alive. How can they find ways to grow in a way that doesn't change their unique character while also dealing with the problems that come with climate change?

Take a high-speed train to Yabuli in the morning. Upon arrival, go to a hotel near the ski resort to check in, store luggage, and have a brief rest. You can try Northeastern Chinese cuisine at nearby restaurants to replenish your energy and prepare for skiing in the afternoon. The surrounding forest sea snow scenery is also very beautiful; you can take a short walk to appreciate it and breathe fresh air.

This afternoon, the official ski experience begins. Yabuli Ski Resort boasts excellent snow quality and a variety of ski runs suitable for visitors of different skill levels. Beginners can choose beginner runs to practice gliding, and after becoming proficient, they can try intermediate runs to challenge themselves. The ski resort is equipped with professional coaches, who can be hired according to needs to improve skiing skills. After finishing skiing, return to the hotel to change clothes. In the evening, head to Yabuli Forest Hot Spring. Soaking in the hot spring amidst snow-covered landscape offers a unique 'ice and fire' experience, relieving muscle soreness from skiing and relaxing the body and mind.

Exciting skiing

Your Journey's Rewards:

Experience the speed and excitement of skiing, enjoy the hot spring therapy surrounded by snow and ice, and achieve dual satisfaction of physical challenge and mental achieve dual satisfaction of physical challenge and mental relaxation.

Educational Focus:

How does the combination of 'skiing and forest hot springs' in Yabuli achieve the complementary adaptation of sports experience and health care functions, thereby helping winter tourism upgrade from a single business format to a composite product?

Takeaway:

The combined format of skiing and forest hot springs in Yabuli has built a comprehensive ice-snow tourism product system through functional complementarity and scenario linkage, promoting ice-snow tourism from a single experience to multi-value upgrading. Skiing, centered on high-quality snow resources and graded ski runs, meets the sports needs of different skill levels, with physical exertion such as muscle soreness during high-intensity sports. Meanwhile, relying on the winter ice-snow environment and taking warm spring water as the carrier, forest hot springs have health-preserving functions of relieving muscle fatigue and soothing the body and mind, forming a "consumption-recovery" physical adaptation with skiing.

Thoughts Challenge:

In the process of pursuing diversified business formats and experience upgrades, how to balance the commercial development of tourism products with the protection of natural ecology, so that the development of ice and snow tourism can have both economic value and ecological sustainability?

Take a high-speed train from Yabuli back to Harbin in the morning, then take a flight or high-speed rail from Harbin according to your arrangements to return to or proceed to your next planned travel destination. If time permits, you can also go to Central Street to buy local specialties like red sausage and Russian goods as souvenirs, or enjoy another delicious meal of Harbin cuisine nearby.