Is anyone still going to Xuexiang now? How about traveling to Xuexiang in 2020?

Snow Township is a very well-known tourist attraction in recent years. It is located in the northeastern region of my country. The snow quality and quantity here are the highest in the country. Every winter, thick snow covers the house, making it difficult to People are surprised one after another, as if they have entered a fairy tale world.

China Snow Township was once one of the most anticipated attractions for tourists traveling to Heilongjiang in winter. However, since the "customer rip-off incident" occurred at the end of 2017, Xuexiang's reputation has plummeted, leaving many tourists intimidated. Although in recent years, as a tourism "ace" in Heilongjiang Province, Xuexiang has been working hard to wash away the bad marks of the past, but for tourists, the fear of being "ribbed" is still the biggest concern when going to Xuexiang to enjoy the snow scenery. worries.

Every winter, "good" or "bad" news about Xuexiang can spread quickly on the Internet and become a hot spot. At the end of 2019, director Zhang Yimou was trapped in the toll station by heavy snow on his way back from filming a movie in Xuexiang. He was "escorted" by the highway traffic police to the Harbin toll station; recently, a Shenyang tourist bus was involved in a traffic accident on its way to Jilin's "Snow Village". , was rumored by netizens to be a tourist bus going to "Snow Country". After the netizen misrepresented it, he was educated and punished by the Internet Police.

In order to change the past stereotype of Xuexiang as "nine months to sharpen swords, three months to slaughter sheep.", accommodation, catering, and entertainment in Xuexiang scenic spots are all clearly marked, and merchants Plaques saying "Complaints are first paid" are often hung at the door, and there are patrol "supervisors" in the scenic area. Even if tourists are in front of the "Yidi", the host will broadcast a complaint phone number. Xuexiang seems to be unable to withstand any more fatal blows.

In the Xuexiang Scenic Area in China, notice boards of "Complaint Insurance Compensation" can be seen everywhere

Nowadays, for self-employed people in Xuexiang, in order to avoid disputes with tourists and being complained , even in the case of "clearly marked prices", there are still customers who bargain and insist on paying less, and merchants have no choice but to accept it. When the interests of tourists are put first, the interests of merchants can only be put second.

The star effect has cooled down

"Xue Shanbin Family Hotel" was the last episode of the first season of Hunan Satellite TV's large-scale reality show "Where Are We Going, Dad" on November 19, 2013? A "luxury house" that celebrity families all hope to live in. In the end, Room 4 was won by Wang Yuelun and Wang Shiling. Four years ago, due to the reconstruction of the bungalow, the house where the celebrity father and daughter once lived is no longer there, and the billboards erected at the intersection are gradually fading.

"Previous tourists would specify that they want to stay in the house where Wang Yuelun and his daughter lived." said 22-year-old Zhou Dan, the operator of the family hotel. In the years after the program "Where Are We Going, Dad" was aired, it was difficult to book a room where Wang Yuelun and his daughter had stayed. Some tourists were even content to stay in the "Xue Shanbin Family Hotel".

Zhou Dan is the niece of Xue Shanbin, the operator of "Xue Shanbin Family Hotel". She grew up in Xuexiang. Before graduating from college, she worked part-time as a private tour guide and ticket seller in scenic spots. After graduation, she studied finance and returned to Xuexiang and started running this 12-room family hotel.

Looking at the clear layers of white snow flowing under the eaves, Zhou Dan often thinks of the winter in his childhood. After a night of snow, the snow reached more than one meter deep, and he could not even push the door open. Kai, "I always have to prepare more food at home." Zhou Dan recalled.

In 2013, the "Xue Shanbin Family Hotel" in Xuexiang's family hotels was already at the "luxury" level in terms of accommodation conditions, with seven or eight rooms. But now, with the overall accommodation environment in Xuexiang, The hotel is constantly improving and upgrading. Even though it was rebuilt 4 years ago and each room has a heated ondol bed with water, can sleep about 5 people, and is equipped with an independent bathroom, better hotels have appeared.

"Most family hotels are similar in terms of hardware, and they can only put some effort into soft furnishings." Zhou Dan said. Before the peak tourist season this year, she equipped each heated Kang table with a small Kang table and pillows, and also added toiletries and a hair dryer in the bathroom.

January 4, 2020, was a Saturday. All 12 rooms in the "Xue Shanbin Family Hotel" had been booked early at 400 yuan per room per night, but Zhou Dan was not satisfied. A man was lying on the water-heated Kang playing with his mobile phone.

"Compared with a few years ago, room prices are much lower now." Zhou Dan said. Snow fell less across Heilongjiang province last winter, which hit the tourism industry.

Young people taking photos in China’s Xuexiang scenic area

This winter, just before New Year’s Day, there have been more than a dozen snowfalls in Xuexiang, but the number of tourists is still not as good as in previous years. Room prices have also been affected. Nowadays, a room can only be sold for 200 yuan on weekdays, but can be sold for 400 yuan on weekends. Zhou Dan hopes that the number of tourists will increase by mid-January.

In the past few years, Zhou Dan would run a family hotel in Xuexiang during the winter months, and would be idle at other times. After Xuexiang’s tourist season this year, Zhou Dan plans to find a job related to the financial industry he studied at university.

"Now fewer and fewer people mention the 'star room' in Where Are We Going, Dad." Zhou Dan said. The broadcast of the program not only brought more tourists to the family hotel, but also greatly increased the popularity of Xuexiang. As time goes by, the halo of star power fades.

The possibility of a star or a variety show making a scenic spot popular is getting smaller and smaller.

"Everyone knows the news that Zhang Yimou came to film a movie, but it has not brought an increase in the number of tourists to Xuexiang." A family hotel operator in Xuexiang said.

Since 2001, movies, TV series, variety shows, etc. have been shot and filmed in Xuexiang. At the end of 2019, director Zhang Yimou encountered heavy snow and highway road closures when he returned to Beijing after filming the movie "Above the Cliff" in Xuexiang. He and tourists stranded in Xuexiang and Yabuli were "escorted" by highway traffic police to the Harbin toll station.

In recent years, as the number of tourists in Xuexiang has gradually increased, the tourist reception capacity of Xuexiang has also been improving year by year.

According to the "Heilongjiang Daily" report, as of December 28, 2019, in the 44 days since the opening of the Xuexiang Scenic Area, there have been 11 snowfalls. With its snow mushrooms, snow houses and unique folk customs Culture, it receives more than 300,000 Chinese and foreign tourists.

But even on weekends, there are still wooden signs saying "Available Rooms" hanging in front of some family hotels. There are even family hotel operators soliciting guests on Xueyun Street.

"Complaints will be paid first"

As night fell, the yangko team got into a fight on Xueyun Street in Xuexiang. , due to the large number of tourists, in order to ensure the smooth performance of the performers, the yangko team is surrounded by many "supervisors" in the scenic area. In addition to the sound of musical instruments, there are also external speakers that play "Go to both sides" in a loop to the tourists. " prompt voice.

This year, a group of people wearing red armbands of "supervisors" appeared in the Xuexiang Scenic Area, which was unprecedented compared to previous years. In addition to ensuring the safety of tourists and maintaining order in the scenic area, they also provide assistance to tourists in need.

On weekend evenings, tourists continue to gather at the Bonfire Square in Xuexiang, and the snowscape sightseeing boardwalk is also crowded with people. After the countdown, Xuexiang staff lit the wood in the brazier, and tourists danced the bunny dance and "played wildly" together.

In China’s snowy countryside at night, tourists take photos of water turning into ice

“400, 3 0, 0453.” Before the bonfire party started, a female host told In addition to following Xuexiang's official WeChat account, tourists can call this number if they encounter complaints. , this phone number is the service hotline of Xuexiang National Forest Park and China Xuexiang Tourist Scenic Area.

In Xuexiang Scenic Area, family hotels and restaurants, you can see everywhere the plaques supervised by the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, "Complaints will be paid first, and you can travel to Longjiang with confidence.", along with a tourism rights protection telephone number.

Since November 2018, Heilongjiang Province has established a first-payment mechanism for tourism complaints. On December 14 last year, it was exposed on the Internet that six Guangzhou students were charged a thousand yuan in fares after taking a taxi from Harbin Taiping International Airport to the city. The Harbin Municipal Tourism Department paid compensation in advance.

"In most cases, it's an apology and a refund." A family hotel operator said. While trying to provide good service, if they encounter complaints from tourists, they will not argue with them, but will actively solve the problem. However, if you encounter "unreasonable" and "difficult" tourists, you can only get a refund or double compensation. Because once the complaints are not resolved, the merchants in the scenic area will be ordered by the managers to suspend operations for rectification or simply close their stores.

"Price clearly marked"

If you go from Harbin city to Xuexiang, it takes about 5 hours by bus. Taking the high-speed train to Yabuli West Station only takes 1 hour and 8 minutes at the fastest, and then transfer to the Xuexiang Scenic Area Express Train, which will take you directly to Xueyun Street, the core scenic area of ??Xuexiang, and the journey takes about 2 hours.

In Yabulixi Station, there will be staff wearing "China Snow Township Scenic Area Express Train" ribbons to guide individual travelers going to Xuexiang Scenic Area to scan the QR code to purchase tickets and take the bus. In the train station, there is a roll-up display showing the ticket price of Xuexiang’s only officially designated scenic spot through train.

After the customer rip-off incident, every move in Xuexiang was under the supervision of tourists and netizens.

Someone found that the fare from Yabulixi Station to the Xuexiang Scenic Area Tourism Service Center in the scenic area is 85 yuan per person. According to the guidance of the staff, after scanning the ticket booking QR code on the roll-up banner and following the "Longyun Tourism Service" WeChat official account, the ticket booking price on the jump mini program was actually 80 yuan per person. There is no physical ticket when taking the bus, so you can take the bus with a text message. The company that transports the vehicles is Longyun International Travel Service, a subsidiary of the "Longyun Group", a large passenger transportation group in Heilongjiang Province.

In addition, the "Longyun Tourism Service" WeChat public account can also book Xuexiang Scenic Area tickets. The ticket price is 115 yuan, which is 5 yuan cheaper than buying at the Xuexiang Scenic Area ticket office, and there is no For physical tickets, the staff can enter the scenic spot by scanning the tourist ID card.

In this regard, according to a driver of the Xuexiang Scenic Area through train, the actual location of the Xuexiang Scenic Area through train is Yabuli Tourism and Culture Post Office, and the fare between it and Yabuli West Station is about 5 yuan. . For the convenience of tourists, the scenic spot express train directly picks up tourists at Yabuli West Station, and takes tourists to the Yabuli Tourism and Culture Post Office before purchasing tickets, so it only charges 80 yuan for the ticket. Another ticket office staff said that the actual fares on the roll-up banners had not been updated in time.

As for the 5 yuan difference in the Xuexiang Scenic Area ticket price, it is because except for the through train to the Xuexiang Scenic Area, other vehicles can only park at the gate of the Xuexiang Scenic Area. After purchasing the tickets, tourists need to take a shuttle bus to enter the scenic area. core scenic spots. The express train to Xuexiang Scenic Area can directly enter the scenic area. In fact, what you save is the 5 yuan shuttle bus fee.

"I pay, I have the final say, so I'll pay two hundred and sixty." A female tourist took her mobile phone and pressed the payment code and left. Li Xuefeng leaned against the one-meter-high ski ring, lowering his head and keeping silent. Li Xuefeng, 45 years old, has been running a ski circle and snow recreation project in the snow town for the third time this year.

On the afternoon of January 4, a group of 9 northern tourists came to Li Xuefeng’s ski circle snow recreation area. A wooden board with the words "Ski Circle 50 yuan per person" was hung on the wall of the bungalow. , with a QR code for mobile payment posted on the side.

7 out of 9 tourists went skiing. A middle-aged woman stopped playing after sliding down a 100-meter snow track. Another woman took over the ski ring, ready to play a few times. After explaining to Li Xuefeng, they reached a consensus that Li Xuefeng would only accept money from 6 people, with a total of 300 yuan.

More than an hour later, after enjoying themselves to the fullest, the seven tourists left one after another, leaving the woman who had just taken over the ski ring to pay. , the woman bargained with Li Xuefeng twice, but was rejected both times. In the end, the woman paid 260 yuan on her mobile phone and left.

"The price is clearly marked at 50 yuan per person, with no time limit and no limit on the number of times, but there is nothing you can do if you encounter such tourists." Li Xuefeng said. Sometimes when there are fewer tourists, he will lower the price to attract more tourists to experience the ski circle, but the highest price has never exceeded 50 yuan.

In the scenic area, whether it is frozen persimmons sold on both sides of Xueyun Street, family hotels, or restaurants, the prices are clearly marked, and even the grams of ingredients used in restaurants are clearly marked, but no matter Any operator in any area will encounter tourists bargaining for prices. , when the number of tourists is small, operators sometimes make concessions.

Tourists buying frozen goods in China’s Xuexiang Scenic Area

Small merchants with unspeakable hardships

Before the opening of the Xuexiang Scenic Area in 2019, Wang Xuefeng The couple quit their jobs in restaurants and started running a restaurant in the Xuexiang Scenic Area. This is their fifth year. The couple speculated that the number of tourists in Xuexiang would also be affected due to reduced snowfall in 2018. With more snowfall in 2019, "we will definitely make money." As of early January 2020, Wang Xuefeng and his wife said, "There is still 50,000 yuan left in rent money that they have not earned back." Wang Xuefeng smoked a cigarette and looked outside the door, while his wife fiddled with holding cell phone. Although it was lunch time, there were no tourists eating in the store.

Wang Xuefeng and his wife rented a 30-square-meter store on a side street in Xuexiang Scenic Area, with a three-month rent of 80,000 yuan. For a store with the same meter, the rent on Xueyun Street, which has the largest number of tourists, is 150,000 yuan. From the opening of Xuexiang to the closing of the park, the lease period is only 3 months. Just four years ago, Wang Xuefeng and his wife rented a commercial house for 50,000 yuan, and since then the rent has increased by 10,000 yuan every year.

The couple are not locals of Xuexiang. In addition to renting a store, they also have to find a place to live. , in order to save rent, the couple would sleep on the floor next to the radiator on a foam mat after closing the store every day. Sometimes when the store closes late, Wang Xuefeng's wife simply lies down in the small bathroom to sleep.

In order to make more money, Wang Xuefeng and his wife also added breakfast in the restaurant. They closed the shop at two o'clock in the morning and went to bed, and got up at 6:30 in the morning to prepare breakfast. , when there are many tourists, the couple can only sleep for more than 4 hours a day. Even though it's hard and tiring, as long as they can make money, they both feel it's worth it.

"When we first opened the store, we hired waiters. Later, when there were fewer tourists eating, we even stopped using waiters." Wang Xuefeng said. He works as a cook and his wife works as a waitress.

When they are not running a restaurant in Xuexiang, Wang Xuefeng and his wife will work in restaurants outside the province. After starting to run a restaurant in Xuexiang in the first year, the two did make money. , when the business situation is at its best, the daily turnover can reach 2,000 yuan. "You don't have to be angry with others, and you don't have to worry about being owed wages." Wang Xuefeng said.

At the end of 2017, Xuexiang was hit hard by the "Xuexiang rip-off incident" and also discouraged tourists who intended to visit Xuexiang.

"I just want them to see what Xuexiang really looks like now." In order to reassure more tourists who want to visit Xuexiang, Wang Xuefeng even opened an account on the live broadcast platform. Live broadcast of cooking by yourself, and also introduce the scenic spots in the scenic area. After the live broadcast for a period of time, although the number of fans was only over a thousand, some netizens who had watched Wang Xuefeng's live broadcast actually came to Xuexiang to visit Xuexiang and ate at Wang Xuefeng's restaurant.

"Snow Mushrooms" in China's Xuexiang Scenic Area

Take a plate of pork and cabbage dumplings in Wang Xuefeng's restaurant as an example. There are 20 dumplings on a plate. In most restaurants in Xuexiang Scenic Area, The prices are all 38 yuan. Wang Xuefeng feels that if the rent can be reduced and the cost is reduced, the price of dining for tourists will also decrease.

According to another restaurant owner who wished to remain anonymous, every year before Xuexiang opens, in addition to rent and purchase costs, a deposit of 50,000 yuan must be paid to the management of Xuexiang, such as Once there are complaints from tourists, fines will be imposed depending on the situation, and the fines will be deducted from the security deposit.

The restaurant owner expressed his approval of this format and felt that this was also to enable Xuexiang to develop better. But it also complained that after Xuexiang closed the park, even if no fines were imposed, it would take about half a year for the money to be returned to the merchants.

In addition, according to him, in addition to water and electricity bills, Xuexiang Scenic Area provides centralized heating, but the heat bills are slightly higher. , the heating fee standard is 65 yuan per square meter, while the non-resident residential heating fee standard in Harbin is 43.3 yuan per square meter of use area.

"Xuexiang just points at the snow, and it will be over as soon as it is civilized.

"At noon on January 5, Wang Xuefeng said, looking at the snow falling drop by drop under the eaves.