Heilongjiang pictures Archives

Red is the lucky color in China. And it is the only way to fight back Nian, the mythological man-eater beasts living under mountains and seas. From red flags to red wedding dresses, the red color in China paints whatever brings luck and power. Including the rare and very expensive Arowana / dragon fishes, with their red, coin-shaped scales.

Asian arowanas at Harbin Lindian Hot Spring

Asian Arowanas at the aquarium of Harbin Lindian Hot Spring

Ads with students of Harbin University

A touch of luck on the frozen streets of Harbin

Public reading of the party newspaper, Harbin

A bride from Inner Mongolia in front of Harbin Opera House

Bride and groom in front of Harbin Opera House, a wedding reportage shot at -25°C

Civil militia on the frozen Songhua River, Harbin

This post is part of the reportage Detour to China. Click each picture to enlarge.

Not always just roundabout routes, detours can be chosen paths. They bring to a destination, rather than to a stop by along the way. Was it the intense traffic pushing us to take a detour? Or the desire for exploring something new, distant and unusual?

On the motorway to Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang, China’s northernmost province

Suburban neighborhood of Harbin

Harbin, university district

The Chinese city of Harbin, 10 million inhabitants squeezed between North Korea and Russian Federation borders lived up to all our expectations. A 12 hour-long flight catapulted us into a freezing -25 °C alien reality, far from being hostile, full of contrasts and unavoidable misunderstandings. Follow us in the next weeks along this winter detour to North East China. Pictures shot by Lorenzo Borghi, editing by Maria Francesca.