Another year of the National Day holiday! This time, it was different from previous years; instead of traveling to other places, my girlfriend and I returned to her hometown in Northeast China—Hailun City. This journey was filled with anticipation. First, I had never seen autumn in Northeast China. Second, this trip coincided with the autumn harvest at her family’s home, so I could truly experience life in the countryside. Previously, I had only seen the rural life in Northeast China on the TV drama “乡村爱情” and now I finally had the chance to experience it for myself!

Itinerary

This trip lasted a total of 7 days, traveling from Shanghai back to Hailun, covering over 2,400 kilometers. Excluding travel time, we spent only about 5 and a half days at home. We took an early morning flight on the way there and returned by high-speed train.

2024-10-01 Day1

We left at 6:00 AM for Pudong Airport to catch an early flight to Harbin Taiping International Airport. By around 10:00 AM, we took a Taxi from the airport to Harbin East Railway Station, where we boarded a train for a two-hour ride to Hailun City. Initially, we planned to drive back, but upon reflection, we realized that taking the train was a better value, so we decided to go by train instead. This also gave us the chance to experience the railway in Northeast China. Although I rarely take the train, I really enjoy the atmosphere onboard—snacking, sipping drinks, and chatting with fellow passengers. Perhaps because Northeasterners are generally tall, the luggage racks on this train were quite high. I had to take off my shoes just to reach up and place my luggage on the shelf.

2024-10-02 Day2

After a long day of travel yesterday, we had a hearty dinner at home and went to bed early. This morning, we got up at 6:00 AM to pack and set off for the countryside.
We drove about 40 kilometers from the city to the countryside, and the road conditions were good, so we arrived in less than 40 minutes. The scenery along the way was quite beautiful, with the rising sun and vibrant yellow leaves, truly capturing the warm essence of autumn.

We arrived at our destination around 08:10. This was my first time visiting the “leader’s” family in the countryside. Currently, my grandparents live here, and they usually return after the New Year when it warms up. They raise seedlings and small native chickens, and after the autumn harvest, they slaughter the chickens before heading back to the city for the winter. The property consists of three bungalows arranged in a U-shape, facing south. The front and back yards are filled with various fruits and vegetables. A few days before our arrival, there had been a frost, so the vegetables in the yard had already been harvested and stored in the lower room. In a few days, the remaining vegetables would be picked, marking the beginning of the “garden closure”.

Front view of the countryside house

Grandpa is cutting sweet sticks for us, and they are really sweet! (People from the south might not have seen this; it’s similar to sugarcane, but easier to peel and the flesh is softer than sugarcane.)

Cutting sweet sticks

This cabbage is just the right size for making a rice bun!

After finishing the sweet sticks, I followed Grandpa to the riverbank to catch fish. This is one of his usual pastimes: fishing with a rod or net.

Cornfield

The uncle loading goods with a tractor

Netting

It’s time to eat! The Northeast dishes these days are incredibly fragrant, including sweet and sour potatoes, sauerkraut stewed with pork bones, spicy dried tofu, and stewed native chicken. The dishes cooked in big pots, paired with Wuchang rice, mean we can easily finish at least two bowls of rice per meal.
The meal times here are similar to those back home, with three meals a day. However, the timing is slightly different: breakfast is around 6 or 7 AM, lunch at 11 or 12 PM, and dinner at 3 or 4 PM. It gets dark quite early here in the fall; by 4 PM, it starts to get dark. Some people also eat only two meals a day. If there’s not much work during the day, they might get up later in the morning, combining lunch and dinner into one meal. This is likely due to the long winter nights here; people eat dinner early and then go to bed, and even with an early dinner, they won’t feel hungry.

Eat

After filling our bellies, we went to harvest the corn. Fortunately, there isn’t much corn to harvest—just three small patches, and we should be able to finish in two afternoons.
Harvesting corn is quite a skilled task. As a novice, I can only rely on brute force to pull the ears off, while the experienced hands use a small wooden stick they’ve sharpened to cut the corn off. In terms of efficiency, while it takes me time to handle one ear, the skilled workers can manage three or four, which is more than three times my speed.

Harvesting Corn 1

Harvesting Corn 2

Why do the corn stalks all appear to be bent over?
Before harvesting the corn, the roots are cut a few days in advance to make them fall over. After a few days of sun exposure, the corn leaves become easier to peel off.

Riding the tractor (hauling the corn back)

By around 2 PM, we finished harvesting the first cornfield. I sat under the willow tree in front of the house, enjoying the gentle breeze. At that moment, I saw Grandpa driving the tractor back home with the corn, so I quickly took a photo—it looked pretty cool!

Grandpa driving the tractor 1

Grandpa driving the tractor 2

Next, we harvested cherry tomatoes. In fact, the cherry tomatoes should have been picked before the frost, but Grandpa and Grandma specifically covered them with plastic sheets every evening (to protect them from freezing) and left a few for the “leader” to pick when they returned. The fresh cherry tomatoes are incredibly delicious and full of flavor. Meanwhile, Grandpa was outside threshing soybeans.

Picking Cherry Tomatoes 1

Picking Cherry Tomatoes 2

Processing Soybeans

Dusk

2024-10-03 Day3

Harvesting corn is still underway. In the morning, we spent some time in the backyard picking corn, then returned for lunch, which was another hearty meal—time to dig in!

Eating

Today, sister came to visit. After lunch, we sat in the yard, sunbathing and enjoying sweet sticks. It was a lovely scene, so I quickly took a photo to capture the moment.

Sunbathing

This is the large earth kang typical of Northeast China. It was my first time sleeping on a kang, and I found it quite comfortable, although it felt really hot at first when I lay down.

The Kang in Northeast China

Today, we finally finished harvesting all the corn. In the evening, we set up a small grill in the yard to have skewers (the freshly grilled peppers are delicious; we pick one and grill one right away).

Grilled Skewers

2024-10-04 Day4

Today, I got up early again, packed my bags, and prepared to head back to the city. I started a fire to steam breakfast. The stove here seems to be quite low, and there’s often a stick placed beside it (could this be the legendary fire stick?). When adding fuel, you just poke the stick into the stove.

Starting a Fire

The fire was too strong, and the steamed buns ended up with burnt edges.

Burnt Steamed Buns

Capturing the countryside in the early morning; the air is incredibly fresh!

Morning

The Cornfield in the Backyard

Next, we visited Auntie’s house for dinner.Next, we visited Auntie’s house for dinner.

The day has come to an end.

2024-10-05 Day5

Today’s itinerary includes shopping, visiting my sister’s house, having a meal, and playing Mahjong.

2024-10-06 Day6

Today, I got up early again to start my journey back. I plan to spend a day strolling around Harbin and have booked a hotel near Harbin West Railway Station for convenience, as I’ll be taking the high-speed train to Shanghai tomorrow.

“Dumplings before the train, noodles after.” After finishing the dumplings, we set off for Hailun Railway Station.

There were quite a few travelers heading to Harbin, so I casually took a few photos on the platform.

Platform 1

Platform 2

This time in Harbin, I didn’t have any specific plans. I decided to rest a bit at the hotel and then take a stroll around Central Street in the afternoon.

Central Street is a popular spot, known as Asia’s First Street, featuring a variety of architectural styles. I grabbed a Ma Die Er ice cream to eat while wandering around. It’s quite similar to commercial streets in other places, with various clothing brands and more.

Central Street

Saint Sophia Cathedral is an iconic building in Harbin, built in 1907 and designed in the Byzantine style. If you haven’t been here, it’s worth a visit. There are quite a few photographers around helping people take pictures (for a fee), and they offer costumes for photos, mostly in dark tones (which gives a certain vibe), reminiscent of the female lead in the movie “The Sleepy Forest”. Additionally, you can pay a 10RMB entrance fee to visit the interior of the church.

Saint Sophia Cathedral

Flood Prevention Cenotaph. This building is located at the end of the street, right by the Songhua River. It was designed and built in 1958 by the renowned Harbin architect Li Guangyao to commemorate the victory of the people of Harbin over the massive flood in 1957.

Flood Prevention Cenotaph

Songhua River

Street Artists

After wandering around, we went to a barbecue restaurant for dinner. After the meal, we returned to the hotel to rest.
This day has come to an end.

2024-10-07 Day7

I spent the whole day on the high-speed train and didn’t take any photos.
The 7-day holiday has come to an end.