Tourists from across China traveled to Fuyuan City in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province to witness the first sunrise of the Chinese New Year on Tuesday.
Thanks to its unique geographic location and rich ice-and-snow culture, Fuyuan City has become a popular holiday destination during the nine-day Spring Festival holiday starting from Feb 15.
Landing on Feb 17 this year, the Spring Festival is the most important holiday in China, celebrated with family reunions with New Year delicacies, or traveling to desired destinations to wishes for good luck in the coming year.
On Tuesday, also the first day of Chinese New Year, battling the biting cold, visitors drove in from near and far, gathering at the Dongji Pavilion, the highest point of the Fuyuan city, waiting for the first rays of sunlight of the coming year.
As night gradually faded, a faint glow appeared on the horizon. Then the sky slowly shifted from pale blue to golden red, as a bright crimson sun rose above the river. Tourists used their phones to capture the moment, with many exchanging New Year greetings on site, sharing feelings of reunion and joy.
"We're really happy today. It is a rare opportunity. As the saying goes, the sun rises in the east, which signifies a fresh start, so we chose to come all the way from Hong Kong to Fuyuan on the first day of the Chinese New Year," said Lam Sze Fong, a tourist.
In addition to sunrise viewing, Fuyuan's rich wildlife experiences have also drawn many visitors. At a local bear park, black bears looked playful and endearing as visitors fed them in an orderly manner, with laughter filling the tour vehicles. Meanwhile, at a herbivore animal park, gentle deer interacted closely with tourists. Feeding and petting the animals brought a different kind of warmth and joy to the tourists amid the winter chill.
Tourists welcome first sunrise of Chinese New Year in northeast China
