The Lindou Express (蜂鄭号) is a 15-car moving five-star hotel carrying just 60 guests through the forests, snowfields, and Arctic villages of Northeast China. Launched 2023 with a fleet of just 30 rooms, the brand-new 2026 winter programme charts a 9-day Harbin – Yichun – Mohe – Snow Town – Changbai Mountain circuit with eight published departure dates.
The Lindou Express is the flagship of Yichun Forest Industry Group and China Railway Harbin Group, launched in 2023 as a "moving five-star hotel." Unlike the Xinjiang-focused trains that dominate the market, Lindou owns Northeast China: the ancient forests of the Lesser Khingan Mountains, the ice-fishing villages of Mohe at China's northern tip, the volcanic caldera of Changbai Mountain, and the Korean-inflected border city of Yanji. It has quietly become the most international train in China, with over 75 percent of guests coming from Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe. Selected as a Top 100 Chinese Cultural Tourism Brand Export case study in 2025.
OperatorYichun Forest Group + CR Harbin
Launch2023
Capacity60 seats · 15 cars · 30 rooms
Largest Suite21 m2
Hotline400-012-3545
Guest Profile75% international
The Largest Suites on Chinese Rails
Supreme Suite · 21 m2
2 suites on the entire train · sleeps up to 2 adults + 2 children
The largest suite on any Chinese luxury train. A private apartment on rails: one king bed (2 m × 1.8 m) in the sleeping zone, a separate living room with single sofa-bed (1.96 m × 80 cm), a writing desk, wardrobe, en-suite bathroom and a picture window framing the forest.
21 m2Separate living zoneFull en-suite2 suites only
King Bed Room
12 rooms · ~12 m2 · sleeps up to 3
One double bed (2 m × 1.8 m) with a single sofa-bed (1.96 m × 80 cm) at the foot for a child or third guest. En-suite bathroom, picture window, wardrobe and writing desk. Ideal for families.
King bed + sofa-bedEn-suite bathroom12 rooms
Standard Twin Room
16 rooms · ~12 m2 · sleeps up to 3
Two single beds (1.96 m × 80 cm) plus a single sofa-bed (1.96 m × 80 cm). En-suite bathroom, picture window, wardrobe and writing desk. A comfortable entry point for friends or families travelling together.
Twin beds + sofa-bedEn-suite bathroom16 rooms
Seven Function Cars
Restaurant · Bar · Tea salon · Children's car · Reading room · Product showroom · Medical car
The mobile-chef brigade runs the Western/Chinese dining car (Michelin-standard, with Hong-Kong-style hotpot on request). The jazz-bar car hosts the Tianchang Ensemble for live jazz, Latin, blues and Chinese folk. A tea salon blends Chinese tea culture with rolling views; a dedicated children’s car keeps families happy; and an on-board medical car hosts a renowned TCM physician alongside Western emergency care.
Source: Operator's official WeChat release — 2026 Winter product. Booking hotline 400-012-3545. China Expresses curates English-language coordination for international guests.
Duration9 Days / 8 Nights
ItineraryHarbin – Yichun – Mohe – Snow Town – Changbai
EmbarkationHarbin
Hotline400-012-3545
Pricing by Departure Date
Departure
Golden Diamond Room
Supreme Suite
15 Dec 2026
RMB 29,999 / person
RMB 49,999 / person
23 Dec · 30 Dec 2026 · 7 Feb 2027
RMB 36,999 / person
RMB 59,999 / person
6 Jan · 13 Jan · 21 Jan · 29 Jan 2027
RMB 31,999 / person
RMB 49,999 / person
Golden Diamond Room = King Bed Room (12 m2) or Standard Twin Room (12 m2). Supreme Suite = 21 m2 two-bedroom suite. Single-room supplement available. Loss-of-position fee: RMB 15,000 per berth once confirmed.
9-Day Itinerary
Day 1 · Harbin. Arrival; transfer to hotel. Welcome dinner at Aoluguya 43F sky restaurant.
Day 2 · Harbin → Yichun. Volga Manor, Siberian Tiger Park, Zhonghua Baroka, Central Street + Sophia Square + Flood Memorial. Evening board the Lindou Express.
Day 3 · Yichun → Mohe. Shangganling Xishui Park, Luxi Ranch, ice-fishing & ice activities (snow-slide, kart, banana boat). Evening board the train.
Day 4 · Train → Mohe. A slow day on board: jazz bar, children’s car, reading car, tea salon. Arrive Mohe; check into hotel.
Day 5 · Mohe · Arctic Village. Arctic Village (North Pole Stone, Shenzhou Bei Stele, Russia’s Ignaniesuino village, northernmost outpost & post office). Dog-sled or ATV. Forest sleep-therapy in an isolated log cabin. Optional aurora viewing & blueberry-wine tasting.
Day 6 · Mohe → Yabuli. Sunrise ice-photography on the frozen boundary river, water-into-ice trick, Hezhen/Oroqen cultural workshop & reindeer park, Oroqen grilled-meat lunch. Evening board the train.
Day 7 · Yabuli → Snow Town → Changbai Mountain. Fairy-tale Snow Town (snow-street, yangko parade, drone show, fireworks), then Changbai Mountain International Resort free day & Wanda ski field (day pass + equipment).
Day 8 · Changbai → Harbin. Ice & Snow Ten-Li Gallery, snowmobile, world's largest Ice & Snow World. Coach back to Harbin for the final night.
Day 9 · Harbin. Transfer to airport/station.
Harbin→Yichun→Mohe (Arctic Village)→Yabuli → Snow Town → Changbai→Harbin
SUMMER · FOREST EDITION
Forest Capital Journey · Variable Duration
The summer programme is more intimate and flexible. Shorter journeys through the dense forests of the Lesser Khingan range, centred on Yichun, the "Forest Capital of China." The train has also extended summer routes into Inner Mongolia's Hulunbuir grasslands and across the border into Jilin Province, making it a moving cultural bridge across the northern frontier. Exact summer 2027 routes and dates are yet to be confirmed by the operator.
Best for: forest-bathing, birdwatching, escaping the southern summer heat. Average July temperature in Yichun: 20 degree C.
Summer Season
June through August (2027 dates TBC)
Summer pricing and routes are announced closer to the season. Register interest early: the train's 60 seats and 75 percent international guest ratio mean peak dates fill quickly. Contact us for priority notification when the 2027 summer schedule is released.
What's Included (2026)
Included
+ Lindou Express room for 3 nights on board
+ 5 nights of 5-star hotel stays on land (Harbin, Yichun / Mohe / Arctic Village, Changbai)
+ Truly pure-play: no shopping stops, no optional paid add-ons
+ Complimentary TCM physician on board
Not Included
- Return flights or trains between your home city and Harbin
- Single-room supplement (where applicable)
- Personal expenses, optional activities, shopping
- Costs arising from force majeure
- Hotel damage deposit (refundable)
Booking conditions & hotline. Bookings via the operator’s hotline 400-012-3545. RMB 15,000 per berth deposit, non-refundable once the train is locked. No changes, transfers or refunds after ticket issue. Guests aged 70+ require a recent medical report; 75+ must travel with a direct relative.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mohe can drop to -35 degree C in January. The train is fully climate-controlled with heating throughout. All off-train activities include appropriate cold-weather gear and warm indoor rest stops. The operator provides detailed packing guidance before departure. Winter travellers report that the cold is part of the experience: standing at China's northernmost point in deep winter is an achievement, not a discomfort.
They serve different geographies within the broader Northeast. The Hulunbuir Express focuses on the Hulunbuir grasslands in Inner Mongolia (summer) and the Harbin Ice Festival corridor (winter), with 44 seats. Lindou covers the Heilongjiang-Jilin axis with deeper forest and border-region access, has 60 seats, and offers suites three times the size. Both are premium products with international clientele. Your choice depends on whether you prioritise the grasslands (Hulunbuir) or the forest-Arctic-Korean border arc (Lindou).
The two 21 m2 Luxury Suites are allocated on a first-booked, first-confirmed basis and tend to sell out months ahead of peak winter dates (Christmas & Lunar New Year). The official 2026 winter departures sell out fastest. As your English-speaking curator, we secure your preferred room type at the time of booking and confirm the specific suite allocation before you travel. Bookings via hotline 400-012-3545.
Three factors. First, Northeast China's winter landscapes (ice cities, rime forests, Arctic villages) are visually spectacular in a way that photographs powerfully on social media, drawing international attention. Second, the operator invested early in multilingual service: guides speak English, Russian, and Korean in addition to Mandarin. Third, the 21 m2 suites beat every other Chinese luxury train on pure square footage, and that metric translates across cultures. International guests now account for over 75 percent of passengers.
Photo Gallery
Traveler Story
What guests really say about the Lindou Express
The Forest Train gathers guest reviews of the jazz bar, the children's playroom, the all-inclusive math, and the small kindnesses guests remember.
