Camping carnival brings warmth to frigid NE China

HARBIN — After an almost weeklong, 3,000-kilometer road trip, camping enthusiast Zhu Yongyu completed his epic journey from South China's Guangdong province, arriving in the country's frozen northeast and pitching his tent on a patch of snow-blanketed grassland.

For Zhu, a night spent camping at — 30 C, a stark contrast to the lush, green campsites he was accustomed to down south, unlocked an exhilarating new level of challenge and adventure.

"I have tried all kinds of camping scenarios in Guangdong, but the snow is something we just don't have. I drove for six days only for this moment," said Zhu, while adjusting a gas stove inside his tent, which had raised the indoor temperature to a comfortable level, defying the extreme cold outside.

Zhu was among thousands of camping enthusiasts who flocked to Hala village in the Meilisi Daur ethnic district of Qiqihar in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province for the fourth Northeast Camping Carnival.

Running from Jan 12 to 18, the event this year saw the number of pitched tents exceed 1,000 for the first time, transforming the quiet, ice-sealed ethnic village into a vibrant hub for outdoor enthusiasts.

The view of such a vast array of tents blossoming like spring buds across the silver plains demonstrates a significant shift in China's winter tourism. What was once a season for locals to "hibernate" has become a golden period for economic vitality, driven by the integration of ice-and-snow sports, culture and outdoor leisure.