January of 2020 feels like a lifetime ago. It’s wild to think that just weeks after my family and I visited the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, the entire world would be changed by COVID. Looking back, we were incredibly lucky, not just to beat the global shutdown, but also with the weather. I’d braced myself for bone-chilling cold, but it was unusually warm for Harbin. It was still freezing, of course, but much more pleasant with sunny skies.
The sheer scale of the festival was mind-blowing. The ice and snow sculptures were colossal, easily the size of buildings. It was a truly impressive feat of artistry, knowing these structures were only temporary. Beyond the snow sculptures, they had some fun rides, like a snow tubing merry-go-round and a tubing hill that was very popular.
The entire experience really reminded me of the temple fairs we’d been to in Beijing around Chinese New Year. The vibrant atmosphere, the crowds, and especially the food, all felt very similar. But there was one thing that stood out above everything else, the tang hu lu. In Beijing, where we lived at the time, it was usually just the traditional hawthorn and sometimes strawberries. But in Harbin, they had every fruit imaginable including pineapple, grapes, melon, among many others.
It’s fascinating how food always plays such a huge role in these kinds of celebrations, no matter the culture. Whether it’s funnel cakes at a county fair in the US or peanuts at a circus, it’s the same cultural concept. For us in northern China, tang hu lu was that iconic food. It wasn’t just a snack. It was a core part of the experience and a sweet memory that perfectly captures that trip.
Shifting Lenses 
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