Harbin : China's Incredible Ice City
Ice sculptures on display at the annual ice festival in China's northern city of Harbin. Harbin, Wade-Giles romanization Ha-erh-pin, city, capital of Heilongjiang sheng (province), northeastern China. It is located on the south bank of the Sungari (Songhua) River. The site of the city is generally level to undulating, except near the river itself, where low bluffs lead down to the floodplain in places; low-lying areas are subject to flooding. The climate is cool, with cold winters that last four or five months; subzero overnight low temperatures are common and can reach −40 °F (−40 °C). Pop. (2003 est.) 2,735,100.
The city layout is centred on the main railway station, which is located somewhat away from the river. The rail lines radiating from it roughly form three districts: Daoli (“Inner Way”; northwest), Daowai (“Outer Way”; southeast), and Nangang (“South Mound”; west). More recently, urban development has spread north of the river. Much of the foreign-developed city has disappeared since 1950, although the city has maintained a Russian air and its nickname “Eastern Moscow.” However, many of the Russian-built or Russian-influenced buildings have been replaced with contemporary ferroconcrete structures; a notable exception is the well-preserved St. Sophia Church in the Daoli district, the largest and most spectacular of several Russian Orthodox churches in the city.
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