Across the water from Stalin Park is Sun Island, a 38-sq-km recreational zone with landscaped gardens, a ‘water world’, a ‘Russian-style’ town, and various small galleries and museums. It’s a pleasant place to have a picnic, walk or cycle (¥60 per hour) in summer, though as usual you need to pay extra to get into many areas (most people find these too kitsch and not worth the money).
During the Ice & Snow Festival, Sun Island hosts a spectacular snow sculpture display (called the Harbin International Snow Sculpture Art Expo; ¥240), which is worth seeing. Distinct from the Harbin Ice & Snow World (3km away), but no less ambitious, the building-sized sculptures here are carved of snow, not ice. A short walk from the cable-car station, most visitors come here during the day then head to the Ice & Snow World come nightfall.
Ferries to Sun Island depart from several docks northwest of the Flood Control Monument in Stalin Park in warmer months. During winter when the waters are frozen, catch the nearby cable car, or walk across.
