Sun Island Park (Taiyangdao gongyuan) consists of one big island and some smaller islands in the Songhua River, which flows through the north of Harbin. This natural island is the biggest recreational center in Harbin, being highly popular in the summer months and during the ice festival.

In summer, the island is a natural river beach swimming resort and sanatorium area, and you can have barbecues or picnics on one of the meadows! During wintertime, Sun Island is used as the playground for various winter sports. Skiing, hockey, ice-skating, and sledding games are all organized here. In winter, Harbinites build snow sculptures for the annual Snow Carving Festival that is held here.

The Park also contains the Siberian Tiger Park at its northern tip. There are apparently over twenty of these beautiful and powerful beasts here, being bred in the hope of being returned to the wild. The park can be reached by either a 20 minute bus/minibus ride from the pier (RMB40) or a taxi from the north, over the Song Wan Jeung Gong Road Bridge (Song wan jeung gonglu daqiao). Entrance fees are RMB30 for a 30 minute tour.