Heilongjiang’s Mingshui Specialty Products Shine in Harbin, Blending Black Soil Treasures with Ice City Charm

From March 1 to 5, a special promotion event for Mingshui’s high-quality products, part of the "Selected Suihua Goodies · Encounter Ice City Snow Rhythm" campaign, kicked off at the Heilongjiang Supply and Marketing Cooperatives · Food Fun Space on Harbin’s Central Street. Featuring green agricultural products, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) cultural and creative works, and characteristic delicacies from Mingshui – a core area of the cold black soil at 47°N – the event sparked a regional consumption boom, showcasing the abundant products and cultural appeal of the "Hometown of Chinese Black Beans" and "Hometown of Chinese Dried Vegetables."

Adhering to the positioning of "green, high-end and portable," all exhibits met the strict standards of "Three Products and One Label" and relevant quality certifications. Leading the display were three national geographical indication products: Mingshui black beans, Mingshui millet and Mingshui dried vegetables. A total of 70 selected black soil products across 15 categories made their appearance, including edible oil, flour, fresh corn, rice, miscellaneous grain pancakes, hand-made glutinous rice cakes and wild selenium-rich dandelion tea, presenting a vivid picture of the "cold black soil, natural granary." Notable highlights included edible oil with no detected pesticides in 236 tests, fresh corn retaining its sweetness through rapid freshness locking technology, and glutinous rice with a smooth and soft texture.

Beyond agricultural products, the event integrated cultural and creative works with characteristic food, combining vitality with cultural heritage. Known as the "Hometown of Chinese Poetry," Mingshui brought ICH elements such as paper-cutting, seal carving, gourd pyrography and "Snow Doll" IP cultural and creative products to the exhibition area, with on-site ICH demonstrations allowing visitors to experience the region’s profound cultural heritage while shopping. A standout delicacy was the centuries-old Mingshui big oil edge, a premium pork cut traced back to the feasts of Mongolian nobles in the Yuan Dynasty and inherited through the integration of Manchu and Mongolian food cultures. Roasted over charcoal, it featured a crispy exterior and tender interior, attracting numerous visitors to taste and praise it. Free tastings of black bean probiotic drinks and soybean ice cream also drew large crowds, creating a lively trading atmosphere.

While the offline event enjoyed great popularity, online attention remained high. A live streaming area was set up on-site, where anchors promoted products and shared stories behind the black soil treasures, receiving numerous positive comments and continuous orders. All exhibited products were simultaneously launched on the "Suixin Gou" e-commerce platform, forming a one-stop consumption loop of "offline experience, online ordering and home delivery," enabling Mingshui’s products to reach the whole country via the internet. Bestsellers such as Mingshui black beans and mixed grain gift boxes were favored by citizens and tourists as ideal snow tourism souvenirs, often selling out.

The event was a key step for Mingshui to implement the "grain head and food tail" strategy and support the province’s agricultural powerhouse initiative, according to the county’s Bureau of Commerce. The core approach was to transform exhibitions into long-term cooperation, building bridges for Mingshui’s products to not only "go out" but also "settle down," converting the quality advantages of cold black soil into sustainable driving force for farmers’ income increase and industrial development, and exploring a replicable path for agricultural product promotion in the city.

Serving as a bridge for development, the event demonstrated Mingshui’s efforts in integrating agriculture, culture, tourism and commerce to boost rural revitalization. It not only helped Mingshui’s high-quality products gain popularity through the ice and snow economy but also enhanced the regional brands of "Mingshui Goodies" and "Suihua Goodies." Moving forward, Mingshui will take this event as an opportunity to innovate marketing models, expand sales channels, and promote the quality and reputation of its cold black soil products nationwide, injecting sustained vitality into high-quality regional economic development.