Harbin at a Glance

Harbin, nicknamed China's "Ice City," was founded a little over a hundred years ago as the hub of the Russian-built Chinese Eastern Railway in what is now the northeastern Chinese province of Heilongjiang. Although from the 1100s on China's Jin dynasty had its first capital in what is now a southeastern suburb of Harbin, the modern city wasn't established until 1898 when the Chinese Eastern Railway built the city to serve as its administrative center.

A view of Harbin in the summer.

Today Harbin is a bustling metropolis of roughly ten and a half million people and is China's eighth largest city. While largely an industrial city, Harbin is also becoming a draw for tourists thanks to its amazing Ice Festival, its unique blend of Chinese, Russian, and Western architectural and culinary influences, and the ski resorts nearby.

Some nice - if basic - video introductions to Harbin can be found here and here. If all goes as planned I will be living and working in this fascinating city from the summer of 2014 through the summer of 2015!

Welcome! Huān Yíng!

Welcome to my blog! I've started this blog to share this latest adventure in my life - moving around the world from North America to Harbin, China - with you, my dear readers! The decision to move to northeastern China was not an easy one, but I begin this new chapter in my life with great excitement for what the coming year will hold! I never would have thought I would willingly move to China (much less a place known as China's "Ice City"!), but there couldn't be a better place in China for this russophile than Harbin, the 'Moscow of the East.' That being said, I've been reading about China with great interest for many years now and I look forward to the opportunity to learn more about this fascinating country and its culture!

It will be a year of big adjustments as I adapt to living and working in China, so I can't guarantee frequent posting. And my views are, of course, entirely my own, and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer or my family. I hope to chronicle the highlights of my experiences in Harbin, both for my family and friends back in my many homes around the world and for other English-speakers with an interest in Ice City life. (I googled Harbin every which way and in a couple of languages, and was left wishing more people were writing about their experiences there.)

So, welcome to my blog! Huān yíng!