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| A city of northeast China. It grew after Russia was granted a trade concession in 1896 and the completion of the railroad to Port Arthur in 1898. The city is the capital of Heilongjiang province. Population, 2,630,000.
Although for most people, Harbin (nicknamed "Ice City"), is famous for its spectacular winter activities. The Ice Lantern Festival in Zhaolin Park (name after a famous anti-Japanese General Li Zhaolin) usually starts in January 5th and lasts till February. Fanciful ice sculptures are crafted in the shapes of animals, plants, buildings or legendary figures. At night the sculptures are illuminated from inside with colorful lights, turning the river-side park into a fantasy-land. Another festivity of Harbin is offered in the warm July, when the Harbin Music Festival takes place. This 12-day-long music fanfare has a long history, only interrupted once by the infamous Cultural Revolution. The Songhua River gives Harbin a touch of lively beauty. During the summer, the sandy banks of the river turns into a beach with swimming, boating, fishing, sand-volleyball, ice-cream stands and photo booths, a scene depicted in the popular 1980s song "Tai4 Yang2 Dao3 (Sun Island)". The best place for river fun is Stalin Park and the mid-river Sun Island (Taiyang Dao). During the winter, the river freezes and becomes a virtual playground for hockey, skating, ice-sailing, sledding, sleighing, and believe it or not, fishing too. For tourist with a shopping mind, Harbin is famous for furs (mink etc), deer antlers etc. Siberian ginseng is another strong reconmmendation. Daoli District, close to the Songhua River, has the best specialty shops. Another shopping area is around the International Hotel in the mid-town, about 8 km south-east away from the Songhua. Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT or Hagongda), located in the south of the city, is one of China's top engineering unverisities. In between the Songhua River and HIT is the busy Railway Station of the city. In summary, Harbin is a beautiful and attractive city, with ice-solid content and more importantly, spring-cool style. |
Harbin
Once a small and quiet fishing village on the Songhua River, Harbin (known in Manchu as "drying fishnets") has grown into the educational, cultural, industrial and political center of northeast China and also the capital city of Heilongjiang. It has a population of 2.54 million by 1997.