Hehe’s Winter Journey in North East China 2023
During the Chinese New Year of 2023, I brought Hehe(My Son) back to the bitterly cold winter of Northeast China for the first time. Our first destination was Harbin, a city that once hosted my four years of university life and remains one of the most important cities to me to this day. Here, I not only have my dear friends but also the Icebreaking Society and its leaders, who are all treasures in my life. I hope to share these special memories with Hehe, allowing him to experience the wonderful times I had in Harbin and the mysterious connection I hold with this city. My hometown is located approximately 600 kilometers away from Harbin, under the jurisdiction of Hegang City, near the border between China and Russia. Hegang gained attention in recent years due to media coverage of its remarkably low housing prices. However, in reality, my hometown has little connection to Hegang besides administrative affiliation. It differs from traditional Chinese rural areas or towns and resembles more of a rural agricultural town in North America—serene, spacious, and sparsely populated.I lived here until I went to university, and most of my relatives still reside here. During the Lunar New Year celebrations in Northeast China, I took Hehe to the parks where I used to play as a child, indulge in my favorite childhood barbecue spots, and play with the children of my cousins. These are my fondest childhood memories, and being able to share them with my son feels incredibly surreal.
2023年春节前夕，我第一次带呵呵回东北体验寒冷残酷的冬天。首站必然是哈尔滨，这座承载了我四年(2005-2009)大学生活的城市，也是迄今为止对我来说重要的城市之一。这里不仅有我的好朋友们，还有碎冰社和碎冰大佬，这些都是我一生中最宝贵的财富。我希望和呵呵分享这些特别的回忆，让他也能体会到曾经我在哈尔滨度过的美好时光，以及我与这座城市的神秘连接。 我的老家位于距离哈尔滨大约600公里的地方，隶属于鹤岗市，靠近中国和俄罗斯的边境。鹤岗因前几年媒体报道其极低的房价而为人所知，但实际上我家乡与鹤岗并没有太大关系，只是行政区划上的附属。它与传统的中国农村或乡镇有所不同，更像是北美的农业小镇，宁静而广阔，人烟稀少。在上大学之前，我一直生活在这里，而我的亲戚们目前也大多还居住在这里。在东北过年的这些日子里，我带呵呵去我小时候经常玩耍的公园，品尝我小时候最爱的烧烤，和我表弟的孩子们一起玩耍。这些都是我最美好的童年回忆，能够与自己的儿子分享，那种感觉太奇妙了。
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