This ice and snow season, Arctic Village in Mohe City, Heilongjiang Province welcomes tourists from all over the country who are "looking for the north" and "chasing the cold". They play snowball fights, ski sleds, experience horse-drawn sleds in the snow and ice... and leave unforgettable moments. Every day, Shi Ruijuan, a B&B operator of the "Snowman Wooden House", cleaned the inside and outside the house, and welcomed the guests with a smile on his face.

Tourists check in and take photos in the North Pole Village of Mohe (photo provided by the Propaganda Department of the Mohe Municipal Party Committee)

"In recent years, ice and snow tourism has been booming, and this year Harbin holds the Asian Winter Conference, and more and more tourists come here to check in." Shi Ruijuan said happily.

On September 6, 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited Arctic Village and visited Shi Ruijuan's homestay courtyard to learn about the local development of characteristic industries and promoting the rural revitalization of the border and enriching the people. The General Secretary pointed out that the development of tourism is an important focus for promoting high-quality development. Only by protecting the Daxinganling forests will the tourism industry be attractive. The tourism resources here are unique. Local party committees and governments should provide policy support and insist on both forest economy and tourism, so that the scenery and ice and snow resources in the northern border will bring a steady stream of income to the villagers.

Recalling the scene at that time, Shi Ruijuan was vividly remembered: "The General Secretary not only asked about our lives, but also asked about the operation and income of our homestays, and was very concerned about us."

Shi Ruijuan is sorting out the ice and snow sculptures in the homestay yard (China Radio Network reporter Ma Junwei Photo)

Arctic Village is the northernmost border Linjiang village in China. It is known as the "Crown of the Golden Rooster" and "Arctic of China". It is covered with ice and snow for eight months a year, and has been unpopular. In recent years, Mohe has anchored the cultural and tourism industry and the "double cold" industry, opening up new ways of transformation and development among the forest and sea snow fields, and transforming "cold resources" into "hot economy". The Arctic Village also "prospered because of the north" and gradually became a tourist destination in Heilongjiang.

"My homestay has tourists all year round, and its income has increased several times compared to before." When talking about its own homestay, Shi Ruijuan opened up, "I also opened a branch in 2024 to upgrade the facilities to make tourists feel comfortable."

Remembering the instructions of the General Secretary, Mohe vigorously promotes the development of ice and snow tourism, helping more and more people to pick up their "snow rice bowls" and have a "tourism rice". At the same time, relying on the vast forest resources advantages of the Greater Xing'anling Mountains, Mohe actively explores the development of the forest economy and allows "mountain goods" to fly out of the mountain villages.

Wei Zhibin, an operator of Mohe specialty store, is busy receiving tourists who come to visit and purchase "mountain goods". He told reporters that the sales of various "mountain goods" are getting higher and higher every year. During this year's Spring Festival, many "repeated customers" called to buy back and asked him to mail it by express.

Tourists mail postcards at the northernmost post office of Mohe (photo by Xu Shu)

At the Arctic Village Post Office, there are endless tourists coming to mail postcards every day. "Due to the special geographical location of Arctic Village, tourists hope to come here to check in and send blessings from the motherland's 'northest' to relatives and friends. At present, the post office has more than 1,000 postcards mailed every day." Zhang Tiantian, a salesperson at the post office, introduced.

"Ice and snow are also gold and silver." In 2024, Mohe City received 3.584 million tourists and 3.31 billion yuan, respectively, an increase of 81% and 84.9% year-on-year. Now, this northern border land is moving towards a more "hot" future with "cold" as its background.

Producer: Luo Hongbing

General Planning: Zhang Jun Yu Feng

Producer: Wu Gang Gong Xinhui

Coordinator: Tao Yude

Planning: Li Xue Wang Wenwei

Reporter: Ma Junwei

Video: Ma Junwei Xu Shu Zhi Jingyang (internship)

Thanks: Propaganda Department of Mohe Municipal Party Committee, Heilongjiang Province