4 days in Harbin

Dear JoChan, since your hotel is convenient located in downtown area, you can visit the Centre Street and St. Sofia Orthodox Church upon your arrival on the first day. The Centre Street is only 10 minutes' walk from your hotel. On the second day, you can visit Sunisland Snow Sculpture and Grand World of Snow. You can take taxi between the sites, which is very convenient and the cost is no more than CNY30. On the third day, you can spend one full day to Yabuli International Ski Resort.

Hi JoChan - you have already been to Harbin this Feb 2016 for the Ice Festival. Wud need your advice re the clothing how do you keep yourself warm with minus 30 deg. BTW is it easy to move around on your own with the public transport or nec. to join a tour company. Thank you. Plan to be there 19 Feb 2017 and plan to travel to Manchuria. Any advice. Thank you.

Dear Tan,
Do not underestimate the cold winter in Harbin. Have a good water and windproof jacket, thermal underwear and basically layer up. You could always use the heat pad stickers to keep you warm. The wind can be biting, so keep your ears and face protected e.g. ear muffs and face mask. The good news is that your body will get acclimatize to the cold, and by Feb, it won't be as cold as the earlier months.
It's quite easy to get around Harbin and if you can read and speak Chinese will definitely be useful for you when you're taking public buses. I didn't join any tours and basically went around on my own.
Hope this helps!