Harbin, Heilongjiang. A visa check gave me one more Harbin Marathon: Songhua River, black soil, home, and the wandering days before everything paused.
That year, I ran the Harbin Marathonthon in my hometown in Northeast China
Black earth, warm
Preface
Last year, because of check, I had the opportunity to run Harbin Marathon one more time. I haven't been in the mood to record it, especially since I missed the warm feeling I just finished running, so I don't even want to write. I just feel that cooking cold rice hurts my teeth. My teeth are not in good condition and they hurt when I get angry.
After the virus quietly came over, it was no longer possible to gather in groups for running, so sometimes I miss those days of wandering around. How would I describe it to you? It was a tingling feeling, to put it simply, happy.
Looking through the old photos and videos on my phone, there is quite a lot of them. During the epidemic, I always have to do work for myself. There is not much space on my mobile phone. If I don’t organize it, it will explode.
Sort through old times and put old photos away.
go home
My home is dozens of kilometers away from downtown Harbin, which is suitable for retirement. It has been more than two months since graduation, and most of my classmates have found jobs and seem to be quite happy. I am about to become a homeless person, and the trade war has collapsed again. The little man sighs deeply in the context of the big era.
I lived a retirement life at home, flying during the day, watching square dances at night, taking my grandparents for a walk when I had nothing to do, and lying down to sleep when I was tired.
Harbin Marathon, who originally had no hope, was able to run like this without training, so he just went for it and was happy.
I have always wanted to pass through Harbin once, visit all the landmarks in Harbin, and then write a masterpiece. Because the general background is not good, resulting in lack of mobility, it just depends on where you go.
In crowded places, such as Harbin’s landmark Sophia Church, Central Street, and the Monument to the People’s Heroes, aerial photography is too psychologically stressful, and I have been there too many times.
The Wetland Park next to the Harbin Grand Theater is sparsely populated, so you won't be caught. What's more, the Grand Theater is so beautiful, it's like an alien civilization, and it's worth exploring.
Take the bus to the Wetland Park before dusk. The Grand Theater from the perspective of an airplane is very sci-fi, with a feeling like the Sydney Opera House. It is also known as the "performer of solidified music".
Hegel once said, "Music is flowing architecture, and architecture is solid music." Harbin is also known as the "City of Music", which is a very good interpretation.
When it got dark, the sky reflected in the wetland reminded me of the Sky Mirror of Dali. The city under the sunset was very beautiful, but I regretted not recording more details of the city.
The real surprise is the Grand Theater after dark. It is like a fire in the heart of this city. Under the cold outside, there is a fiery soul.
I said goodbye here in a hurry. As a Northeasterner, I always feel that there is still time to slowly explore this city.
Harbin Marathon
Looking back on Harbin Marathon now, to be honest, I can’t remember many of the details, but when I comb through the photos, I can still feel the enthusiasm that smells like Northeast China.
Before the race, I happened to meet my old classmate Frog, a legendary figure who got through Majiagou and now has a doctorate from Harbin Institute of Technology. I thought to myself, this kid has a bright future.
The starting point of Harbin Marathon is near Central Street, a landmark of Harbin. The street buildings here include Renaissance, Baroque and other styles. It is said that the taste of Harbin starts from Central Street, and our journey to Harbin Marathon also starts here.
After the start, the temperature was around 20 degrees, which was very comfortable. I was chatting and laughing with the frogs, listening to the cheering sounds full of Northeastern flavor on both sides of the track, and the breeze was blowing, which made me feel good.
Although I haven’t run for a long time, I’m in good shape. After all, I’ve been through many battles.
The national flag beside the track is very dazzling. It is the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the track under the protection of the national flag is even more shining than usual.
14 kilometers to the Yangmingtan Bridge. Among all the bridges across the Songhua River, Yangmingtan is my favorite.
The dark green bridge draws lessons from European style, which perfectly fits the temperament of the city of Harbin. While running, I thought, I must take aerial photos when I have time.
After running through Yangmingtan, we came to Jiangbei. Waiting for us in front were the beautiful Russian cheerleaders, one of the characteristics of Harbin Marathon.
The weather is getting hot, and the fire trucks on the roadside are spraying water to cool down. The route in Jiangbei is quite boring, especially after 21 kilometers.
After passing through a tunnel for 30 kilometers, there is a big uphill climb, which is very strenuous. Every year I lose a layer of skin here, the sequelae of not running for several months slowly show up.
Next is a long roundabout, and the highlight in the middle is the Harbin Grand Theatre, but I had already seen it yesterday, and watching it from the roadside didn’t feel as amazing as watching it from the sky.
In fact, what has supported me has always been the dumpling supply in front of Beidaqiao, which left a deep impression on me a year ago.
It's a pity that this year, there is no...
After crossing Songbei Bridge, we finally arrived at Sun Island. Sun Island is a famous attraction in Harbin.
It is said that the beautiful Songhua River runs through the urban area like a jade belt, and the elegant Sun Island is like a bright pearl inlaid on the Songhua River. The "sun" in the name of Sun Island comes from the Manchu homophony, which means bream flower fish.
It's just that I'm almost out of gas and I'm not interested in pearls, but I really want to eat fish.
Before I crossed the finish line, it suddenly started raining, and it was quite heavy. After taking my bag, I hurriedly went to take shelter from the rain.
After the race, you can take the ferry back to the starting point, but you only need to walk to the ferry, which is very refreshing.
Although the reputation of Harbin Marathon is not as good as every year, as a hometown event, I still feel very cordial in retrospect, and we are destined to meet again.
hometown
After the race, my uncle treated me to Xinjiang food, and the next day we went back to my hometown in Northeast China, a small town that I hadn’t returned to for many years. It should be a small town to be precise, and it’s where I spent half of my childhood.
The place names in the Northeast are more magical, and this place is called "Crow Pao".
After living in a building for a long time, I feel very comfortable when I return to the village. Living on the hard kang in the bungalow, I don't have to think about those troublesome things. I can also watch the stars at night, which is a rare tranquility.
The small town is located next to the Songhua River. The water originating from Tianchi seems to be falling from the sky, so the Manchus living by the river call it "Songaliula", which means "Heavenly River".
I didn’t know so many stories when I was a child. I only knew that my dad often took me here on his bicycle. At that time, there were big boats on the riverside, but now there are almost no young people here.
For me, this is just a small part of my childhood, but for my grandparents’ generation, this is their entire youth. At that time, my grandparents said, "The motherland needs it, and it is an honor to support the border areas." From the machinery factory in Qingdao to Beidahuang, it lasted a lifetime.
I can imagine the glory of the town in those passionate years. Carloads of wood were transported here and then provided to other parts of the motherland.
Like many small towns in the Northeast, it seems to be forgotten now, including the entire Northeast.
The Songhua River is particularly beautiful in the evening, and the black soil at the end of August is covered with crops. I went out for a run when I had nothing to do. Although there were not many people on the avenue, I just felt comfortable. The funniest thing was that on the roadside, I could always hear the laughter of pure Northeastern dialect. It was really exciting.
My favorite thing is to fly a plane, and then there will always be a group of children around me. When I was a child, I also loved to play with four-wheel drive vehicles. This is my nature. The golden fields are really not inferior to the Xinjiang grasslands I just visited, making people feel extremely open.
Postscript
Sometimes I think that it is rare to write about my hometown. The writing style should be serious and the emotions should be deep and heavy, so that it appears to be profound and like a college student. But emotions are always in moderation.
Because this is the Northeast, and although the land in the Northeast is really hard, the people in the Northeast have always been optimists.
This is not just like this 2020. Although the beginning of the year is extremely bitter, we can still love life extremely despite the epidemic.
If you love it and love it, good things may happen.
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Words | Arsenan
Photos | Arsenan
Design | Arsenan