City snaps up its photo opportunities

Despite arriving in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province, at midnight, Bu Shengyao rose early the next day and spent the entire morning having her photo taken in front of Saint Sophia Cathedral.

"This is my most important task during my trip to the city," said the 25-year-old from Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang province. "Wearing European-style royal attire and holding a scepter, I enjoy the experience of dressing up as a princess."

The cathedral, one of the best-known landmarks in Harbin and a well-preserved example of Byzantine architecture in China, is open to the public as an architectural art gallery.

Bu said: "As such photos are quite popular on social media platforms, I booked my assignment with a travel photography studio in Harbin several days in advance. I have never seen such magnificent Russian-style architecture before, and I am really looking forward to receiving my photos."

The Harbin branch of Daka Travel Photography has had 40 to 50 customers a day in the winter season.

Zhao Wenlin, manager of the business, said: "Most of our clients come from southern areas of China, such as Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, as well as Shanghai. Their ages range from 8 to about 50.

"Daka Travel Photography, which is based in Beijing, has branches nationwide, but the one in Harbin is by far the company's busiest," she said. "There are at least 100 photographic studios in surrounding areas, and our staff members usually work from 9 am to midnight."

Harbin Railway Station, with its European-style architecture, has also gained fame on social media.

Since China Railway Harbin Group operated the first photography-themed train in early January, approximately 1,000 passengers have taken photos during the journey on Train K5197 running from Harbin to Yabuli, a ski resort cluster that has eight venues for the ninth Asian Winter Games.

The ongoing sporting event has attracted the attention of global tourists this winter, injecting strong impetus into the development of the local ice and snow economy.

And, as its snow and ice economy continues to boom, Harbin has once again jumped to the list of popular tourism destinations domestically and abroad.

Wearing colorful Chinese and European-style costumes, passengers on Train K5197 can enjoy photo-shooting services in two train carriages that have been decorated as an "Ice and Snow Fairy Tale" and "Nordic Street".

China Railway Harbin Group also actively invited passengers to participate by wearing costumes, immersing everyone in the fun of interactive photography.

When Zhang Peng got the news of the service, he immediately signed up to participate.

"When I got on the train carrying my camera, I communicated with the passengers in advance to understand their preferred photo styles, themes, specific scenes, poses, and personal preferences," he said. "After shooting, I also collected feedback from them to understand their satisfaction with the photography service, photo quality, and suggestions for the shooting process, in order to identify issues promptly and make improvements."

In the makeup room, train attendant Su Ruiqi took on the role of a makeup artist, along with two other young colleagues, who took turns assisting on the photography-themed train during their off-duty hours.

"With the increasing popularity of ice and snow tourism, I now have to do makeup for at least six or seven passengers every day," said Su. "During the process, I will match the passengers' makeup with their clothing styles. For European-style clothing, I applied a relatively heavier makeup, while for Chinese-style attire, I used lighter makeup."