Harbin's ice city, Changbai's sky lake and Changchun's imperial film history
The frozen northeast in one week: three days of Harbin's ice palaces, tiger safaris and Russian lanes, the HSR to Changchun's puppet-palace museum and Jingyuetan's ski forest, then the Changbai mountain road to the snow-rimmed Heaven Lake on the Korean border.
Fly into Taiping (HRB). Evening on Central Street's cobblestones with Russian bread and the flood tower lights.
Siberian Tiger Park safari in the morning, the whole afternoon-evening at Ice and Snow World for the illuminations.
Saint Sophia's domes, the frozen Songhua promenade and Sun Island's snow sculptures; evening HSR to Changchun.
The Museum of the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo — Puyi's puppet court — then Jingyuetan's forest loops (rent skis if the season runs).
Morning train toward the mountain; afternoon at the foot pools and tree-lined snow trails; hot-spring hotel night.
The north-slope shuttle and boardwalk to the crater rim — the lake appears between cloud breaks; descent past the waterfalls.
Korean-Chinese food streets in Yanji if you route east, or return Changchun for the flight home.
Travel in China