6-day Shanghai-Harbin Winter Tour

Once you arrive in Shanghai, our staff will transfer you to the hotel for check-in. Make the most of your first day's relaxed mood to discover the city's real charm. Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street or Tianzifang are great choices — at the former, you can try classic snacks such as Shen Dacheng's green rice cakes and Nanxiang xiaolongbao in one go, and enjoy the busy feel of a thriving commercial area.

Spend your morning at the Shanghai Museum to learn about how the city has developed. A huge number of ancient art relics are kept here — from the grace of bronze objects to the lasting beauty of calligraphy and paintings — so you can fully experience the deep roots of Chinese history and culture. Then go to Yu Garden, a famous Jiangnan classical garden. Scenic spots like Qixing Pavilion and Zigzag Bridge there are full of ancient charm. Try real Nanxiang xiaolongbao at nearby snack shops after visiting the garden; their thin skins and juicy filling stay in your memory.

Shanghai Museum

Yu Garden

Visit Lujiazui after lunch — it's home to famous skyscrapers like Shanghai Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center. Take a walk along Binjiang Avenue, and you can get close to the impressive modern buildings. Next, climb to the Oriental Pearl Tower’s top. From the high viewing platform, you'll see all of Shanghai, with the curving Huangpu River and the scenery on both sides right before your eyes. Board a Huangpu River cruise in the evening. As the boat moves slowly, watch the night view where the Bund’s "Gallery of World Architecture" and Lujiazui's skyscrapers shine together beautifully.

Lujiazui

Looking down at Shanghai from the Oriental Pearl Tower

Huangpu River night view

Your Journey's Rewards：

Learn about Shanghai's development history, admire classic Jiangnan gardens, taste Shanghai's traditional specialty foods, and enjoy the magnificent scenery on both sides of the Huangpu River.

Educational Focus：

As the most representative Jiangnan-style garden, what architectural features does Yuyuan Garden have? By what cultural factors is the uniqueness of its architecture influenced?

Takeaway：

Yu Garden is a classic Jiangnan-style garden that was built during the Ming Dynasty and later restored by modern authorities. It uses the clever technique of "small space, big view" to make big views in small spaces. The small space has a lot going on, with winding paths, scattered courtyards, and borrowed views all working together to create a multi-layered experience.

The way the garden is set up shows how Jiangnan culture has influenced it. Wu-Yue culture's refined elegance can be seen in intricate carvings and layouts that look like they came from nature without any effort. The garden, on the other hand, combines Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist ideas. Its orderly layout is based on Confucian balance, and its rock and water arrangements are based on Taoist harmony with nature.

Thoughts Challenge：

Are there other Chinese gardens with an architectural style similar to Yuyuan Garden? With modern demand for ancient-style architecture tourism on the rise, how to balance ancient buildings and modern convenient designs to keep the final architectural style harmonious rather than conflicting?

Go to Zhujiajiao Water Town in the morning. Time has left marks on its waterfront ancient buildings; winding bluestone streets and white walls with black tiles reflect in the river, showing the full charm of a Jiangnan water town. Fangsheng Bridge, the main scenic spot, crosses the river. As the town's landmark, it lets you overlook the water town views on both banks when you stand on it. You'll take a hand-cranked boat tour in the ancient town later. Sit on the boat drifting downstream, watch the shops lined up and tourists passing by, and listen to the guide's stories about the town to fully feel the unique charm of the Jiangnan water town.

Zhujiajiao Water Town

Once you finish visiting Zhujiajiao, go to the airport to take your flight to Harbin. Rest a little during the flight — it will help you get ready for the coming ice and snow trip. When you arrive in Harbin, prepare for the cold ahead to feel the dry, cold winter in northern China.

Your Journey's Rewards：

Enjoy the original scenery of Jiangnan water towns, get a unique view from hand-cranked boats, and hear the historical stories of the ancient town.

Educational Focus：

The water systems in Zhujiajiao Ancient Town are very important to how the town is built and how people live there. What regional survival wisdom and cultural logic support the pattern of "living by water and building streets alongside it"?

Takeaway：

Zhujiajiao's "living by water, forming streets along water" pattern is based on the regional survival wisdom and cultural logic of Jiangnan water towns. The unique water system provides people with things they need, like drinking water and irrigation. It also helps people get around and do business, which is good for the town's economy and makes the "streets following water, houses built along water" layout. Because hand-cranked boats (the traditional way to get around) are not only used to get around, but also to connect shops, bridges, and homes to make a "humans - water - architecture" system, the town has a slow pace of life and a calm, polite personality.

Thoughts Challenge：

How can the "living by water" cultural gene survive in today's world, when new ways of getting around and living are slowly changing the way water towns used to be?

Start with St. Sophia Cathedral in Harbin — the city's landmark. Its special Byzantine style has great artistic appeal, and the murals and sculptures inside give off a strong religious art feel. Walk to Zhongyang Street after the church visit: this century-old street has cobblestone pavement, with European-style buildings on both sides arranged neatly, full of foreign charm. Depending on your time, visit various old famous food shops along the street, like Laodingfeng and Zhangbaopu. Madier ice cream, a Zhongyang Street specialty, is our top pick. Locals in Harbin love wrapping it in chimney bread — give it a try too to experience the city's history and local life.

Inside of St. Sophia Cathedral

Zhongysang Street

Take the Songhua River Cableway across the river to Sun Island Scenic Area first, and enjoy the river and city views from high up. When you get to Sun Island, check out the beautiful snow sculptures — you can also visit the giant panda in giant panda house. Next, go to Siberian Tiger Park, the world's biggest man-made breeding base for Siberian tigers. You'll learn about the park's hard work in raising these tigers and saving the endangered species here. Ride an adventure vehicle to get a close look at the tigers' daily lives; you can also pay to buy food to feed them and see how lively they are. Head to Ice and Snow World in the evening. Its ice sculptures glow beautifully with lights, and you can try different ice and snow activities at your own cost. There are 24 super ice slides for speed and fun, plus a 120-meter snowflake Ferris wheel for a full view of the park. These activities let you fully feel the joy of northern winter.

Snow sculptures

Giant panda

Siberian tigers

Ice and Snow World

Your Journey's Rewards：

Enjoy Byzantine architectural art, stroll the century-old European-style street and savor special foods; take in Songhua River views, spot snow sculptures and giant pandas, get close to Siberian tigers, and relish ice and snow activities.

Educational Focus：

How does Harbin Siberian Tiger Park, the world's largest artificial breeding base for Siberian tigers, balance human intervention and preservation of natural habits in its endangered species conservation?

Educational Focus：

Harbin Siberian Tiger Park uses professional breeding tech to improve the tiger population’s genes, cut inbreeding risks, and supply stable living spaces and medical care for endangered Siberian tigers—slowing species extinction effectively. Far from being disconnected from nature, artificial breeding preserves core wild behaviors like hunting and movement by copying wild habitats, preventing the tigers from losing their wild instincts. With conservation as its core, the base blends science popularization and proper interactive experiences. It shares the importance of endangered species protection, supports conservation through sustainable operations, and unites species protection, scientific research and public education to provide a practical reference for global endangered large cat conservation.

Thoughts Challenge：

How can conservation practices help endangered species survive when people are an important part of their survival without breaking their strong ties to the original ecosystem?

Ride the high-speed train to Yabuli — the guide will explain Yabuli Ski Resort’s safety tips and ski activities in detail, letting you pick what to experience freely. Along the way, enjoy the snowy winter scenery of northern China. When you get to Yabuli, check in at the ski resort and get settled. Take a quick look around the area first, then a hearty lunch will be served to boost your energy for the afternoon's skiing, so you can glide freely on the snow.

Dive into your much-anticipated skiing in the afternoon. Yabuli Ski Resort has good facilities, fitting skiers of all skill levels. Based on your ability, opt for one-on-one or group ski lessons (paid separately) — learn skills from pros and feel the fun of gliding down the slopes. Other activities are also available here besides skiing: sledging, snowmobile races, snowball fights and snow football. Choose whatever you'd like to try. Go to Yabuli Forest Hot Spring after skiing. On a cold winter day, a hot spring soak eases post-ski tiredness. In the evening, enjoy Yabuli's night view: snow-covered mountains and lights go well together, peaceful and lovely.

Exciting skiing

Your Journey's Rewards：

Enjoy northern China's winter snow scenery, try ice and snow activities such as skiing and sledging, relax tiredness in forest hot springs, and appreciate snow-covered mountain views at night.

Educational Focus：

How does Yabuli Ski Resort, a model of combining northern China’s winter tourism with sports and leisure, balance ice and snow resources development and ecological protection while satisfying tourists’ experience needs?

Takeaway：

Yabuli Ski Resort has found a practical way to protect the environment while developing ice and snow resources as it has grown. It uses the natural strengths of ice and snow to plan ski trails and activity areas, avoids damaging or overusing native plants, and cuts down on ecological disruptions with scientific planning. Operations use a green management model, which includes things like controlling the number of tourists, setting limits on ice and snow activities, recycling more waste, and lowering the negative effects of tourism on the local environment. This model protects regional ecosystems by using strict ecological controls while also unlocking the full economic and recreational value of ice and snow resources.

Thoughts Challenge：

How to protect the unique ecological foundation as ice and snow tourism becomes a key driver for cold-region development, while constantly diversifying experience forms and boosting industrial value?

On the final day of your trip, you’ll be dropped at the airport or high-speed rail station by our staff, according to your schedule. May the good times and happiness of this trip stay with you every day from now on!