Harbin Railway Cultural Palace

The lovely Harbin Railway Cultural Palace on Xidazhi Street, formerly the Chinese Eastern Railway Club.

Ice and Snow Sculptures on Zhongyang

大白! A snow sculpture of Dà Bái or 'Big White,' as Baymax is known here. Apparently Baymax likes Manchurian kvass...

A sweet ice sculpture near Zhongyang Avenue's Bomele 1931.

An ice sculpture commemorating the 118th anniversary of Harbin's founding in 1898 by Russia's Chinese Eastern Railway.

Another lovely ice sculpture.

Another of the snow sculptures up now along Zhongyang Avenue.

Anything Can Become a KFC

What I'm told is the former home office of the Китайско-Восточная Железная Дорога or Chinese Eastern Railway just off of Hongbo Square, now repurposed as a KFC. And if it weren't a KFC, then it would probably be a McDonald's or a Pizza Hut! Economic development sure is accompanied by some weird things!

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!