Heilongjiang Province, the most northwesterly part of China, when viewed on a map has the shape of a swan. Its capital city is Harbin, which is located south of Heilongjiang. Not only for its special position, but also as the center of Heilongjiang's political, economic, educational and cultural life, Harbin is described as the pearl beneath the swan's neck. Lying on the east of the Songnen Plain, what is more, Harbin plays a vital role in communications between South and North Asia as well the regions of Europe and the Pacific Ocean.
Before you visit a city, it is always useful to know at least a little of its history. Harbin was the birthplace of Jin (1115-1234) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties, the latter of which had a very considerable influence on modern Chinese history. At the end of the 19th century, Russia built the terminus of the Middle East Railway here. Later, more than 160,000 foreigners from 33 countries migrated to Harbin, promoting the development of a capitalist economy in the city. The economy and culture of Harbin achieved unprecedented prosperity at that time and the city gradually grew into a famous international commercial port. Assimilating external culture, Harbin 
created its unique and exotic cityscape. The majestic St. Sofia Orthodox Church and Zhongyang Dajie each built in a European style have the effect of bringing you into an 'eastern Moscow'. Even though you are sure to be attracted by various exotic buildings, the Dragon Tower which embodies the wisdom of the Chinese people is a must on your journey.
Besides these rich cultural heritages, Harbin is favored with beautiful natural scenery. Based on meandering Songhua River and subject to severe low temperatures in winter, Harbin boasts a unique ice and snow culture. So, Harbin is also called the 'Ice City'. Each winter fantastic sculptures created from snow and ice, ice lanterns and exciting sporting events attract thousands of visitors from home and abroad. The cool summers make Harbin highly popular as a natural summer resort. It is widely accepted that the Sun Island Scenic Resort is the best choice during a sweltering summer.
The local people in this area covering some 53,000 square kilometers (about 20,463 square miles), have created a very distinctive food culture which reflects Harbin's history and special geographical position. However, under the influence of neighboring Russia, a number of authentic western food restaurants have been established here. This coming together of Chinese and Western flavors will definitely fulfill your appetite.
Every year, vast numbers of visitors flock to Harbin and the city has adapted itself to meet the needs of this great influx of tourists. Convenient transportation by air and water can ease your journeys and ensuring a comfortable way of either getting to or around the city. A large number of star-rated hotels with good services await you here.
Living, shoping and
Living, shopping and Attractions
The Churin Department Store (Qiúlín Baihuò), located in an immense green baroque-style building on the north side of Dong Dàzhí Jie (opposite the main post office), was once one of the largest department stores in East Asia. The first floor is where you'll find Harbin's best dàlièba -- heavy circular loaves of crusty bread -- and Russian-style red sausage (hóngcháng), which you can take for a picnic in the nearby Children's Park. A few blocks west, at the intersection of Dong Dàzhí Jie and Hóngjun Jie, is the Hóngbo Shìchang, one of the largest underground markets in the Northeast. The market is set up inside an old air-raid shelter, located underneath the former site of the St. Nicholas Church (destroyed by Red Guards in the 1960s), and offers everything from fur hats to black market video games.
The Popov distillery left town long ago, but foreign residents still imbibe plenty of vodka at Blue Kiss (Bùlusi Jiuba; tel. 0451/468-4277). The drinks-and-dance venue at Dìduàn Jie 100, near Tòulóng Jie, is open from 1pm to very late; go late on a weekend night for the must-see variety show, a mix of high-kick quasi-strip tease numbers that leaves even regular visitors shaking their heads in slack-jawed wonder. A less raunchy choice, Portman, is open late and serves passable pitchers of dark draft beer.
Zhognyang Dàjie--A cobbled, tree-lined street located in the heart of Dàoli District, Zhongyang Dàjie was once the buzzing heart of social and commercial life in Harbin, home to the city's most exclusive hotels and shops. "From 3am until nightfall, it was alive with throngs of people," a Japanese visitor wrote of the avenue, originally known as Kitaiskia (Chinese) Street, in 1926. "The Russian women with their gaudy early summer hats and clothing together with their white shoes formed a spectacle to be seen nowhere else in the Far East save Shànghai." The scene today is much the same. Particularly vibrant is the pedestrian-only section at the southern end, where Chinese women in absurd fur coats window-shop a new generation of boutiques set up in the old Russian buildings, beautifully restored with explanatory plaques in English. The introduction of a few fast-food restaurants and wedding studios only highlights the old-world charm.
At the top of the street, constructed along a large embankment erected after the Songhua River flooded and buried Harbin under several feet of water in 1932, is Sidàlín Gongyuán (Stalin Park), a recently repaved stretch of trees and benches where locals gather to exercise and gossip. In the center of the park is the Fánghóng Shènglì Jìniànta (Flood Control Monument). The monument commemorates the city's struggle against the floods of 1957, when the river rose 4 feet above street level but was kept from spilling into town by an army of soldiers and volunteers. Water levels from other big floods are marked at the base of the monument.
Zion That Wasn't--Unlikely as it sounds, Jews fled to Harbin in such numbers in the early 1900s (the population reached 25,000 at its height) that Manchuria ranked just below Morocco and Palestine on early-20th-century lists of potential sites for a Jewish homeland. Fleeing official discrimination and a revival of pogroms in czarist Russia, they were instrumental in Harbin's development but fled en masse for the real Zion shortly after World War II. The only obvious Jewish structures still remaining in the city are the Modern Hotel; and a music and Torah school at Tongjiang Jie 86 (a block west of Zhongyang Dàjie), a ragged structure built in 1919 with Star of David window frames that now houses the No. 2 Korean Middle School (Cháoxian Èr Zhong). The city government has toyed with plans to turn an unrecognizable synagogue at the intersection of Jingwei Lù and Jingwei Wu Dàojie into a Jewish History and Culture Museum.
