Social media chatter helps draw 3 million tourists in 3 days to a frigid city in northern China

For many Chinese, Harbin conjures images of ice and steel, a city both cold and tough.

But this winter, the heavily industrialized city morphed into a warmly welcoming host, drawing in a record-breaking number of visitors, mainly from China’s south.

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During the three-day New Year period from Dec. 30 to Jan. 1, Harbin received more than three million tourist visits, a common tourism measurement in China, bringing in tourism revenues of some 5.914 billion Chinese yuan ($830 million), according to the Harbin Cultural Broadcasting and tourism Bureau.

Harbin’s winter festivities attracted Shanghai resident Yuying Zhang to the city, she said. But in the end, she said she was more enamored with the residents than the city’s famous ice sculptures.

The day she arrived, Zhang said, she booked a taxi via Didi, a cashless ride-hailing app in China.

“However, after recognizing our southern accents,…