During this winter, China's "ice city" Harbin in Heilongjiang Province has definitely become a tourist sensation, attracting millions of tourists from both domestically and internationally. During the city's massive tourism boom, the lesser-known diversity and rich cultures of local ethnic minority groups have also come to the fore. In addition to ice and snow tourism, the city's booming tourism boom has also brought attention to the lesser-known diversity and rich cultures of these ethnic minority groups. 
Central Street, one of the busiest pedestrian streets in downtown Harbin known for its Western architectures in different eras, is packed with tourists who swarm a group of Aoluguya Ewenki people dressed in their ethnic regalia with a herd of seven reindeer as they walk down the street singing traditional folk songs. Tourists take photos and videos of the group as they are swarmed by tourists.
Only the Aoluguya Ewenki ethnic group in China raises reindeer. It has been reported that some people confuse the Ewenki people with the Oroqen people, one of the smallest ethnic groups in China, since they used to live in forests and hunt in bushes. As a result of Harbin's booming tourism sector, the Aoluguya Ewenki decided to take advantage of the opportunity to share their unique culture and identity with visitors from all over the country by taking advantage of the opportunity.  
More and more local ethnic minority groups have made their public debuts since the Aoluguya Ewenki people's public appearances, with some from other parts of the nation traveling to Harbin to witness them as well. "If you want to see China's rich multi-ethnic culture, then you should come to Harbin now," netizens say on Douyin (China's TikTok).
Diversity within the local community
The province of Heilongjiang is known for its rich history and diverse cultures, and ten ethnic minority groups have had their homes in the region for generations.
It is no secret that the Hezhes are one of the smallest ethnic groups in China and their population was so small less than a century ago that they were on the verge of disappearing. However, today they number more than 5,000. In the past, they primarily lived off hunting and fishing in the Sanjiang Plain, and they are now renowned for their hospitality and their traditional practices, including offering grilled rare fish to guests as well as creating ornaments out of fish skin and bones.
There were also a group of Hezhe individuals who came to Harbin to present their culture to the public. "We come from Raohe county, Shuangyashan, and the well-known folk song, 'Chanty of Wusili,' is adapted from a Hezhe folk song," said Xu Jingwen, a young Hezhe lady dressed in a fish-skin coat.   
After their debut in Harbin, Xu's social media account attracted a lot of attention. Her Douyin account had 275,000 followers at the time of publication. She has since published a number of videos that are aimed at introducing the culture, history, tourism, and agricultural products of the Raohe region to the public. 
With the surging public enthusiasm towards local ethnic minority groups, the Heilongjiang Ethnic Museum in Harbin has inadvertently attracted more visitors as well due to the surge in public enthusiasm for ethnic minorities. In the Central Street of Harbin, a family from Tianjin Municipality missed the performance by several ethnic minority groups while visiting the city. They chose to take their child instead to the museum to learn more about their unique culture and history.
Among the visitors to the exhibition were local residents living in Harbin. "I live nearby. When I saw the ethnic minority groups dressed in their traditional clothes on the news I remembered that I needed to come here and see if there was any new exhibition," said a local resident.

Source prnewswire