Harbin, China Travel Blogs

i surrender
Sep 25, 2007

... thinking about it all...and i decided that i need to cultivate a sense of surrender if i'm to ultimately enjoy my time in china (and beyond). that is, giving in to my environment to be carried along instead of resisting and being torn apart. i could  ...

lisinan
Sep 23, 2007

... made it there just fine. i'm beginning to think that the woman who wrote the north-east province chapters of the lonely planet china guide never actually rode any of the bus routes she was writing about. the hostel is very bare bones...obviously geared at ...

Harbin in Spring
Apr 8, 2008 (17 photos)

... 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 ...

Will my spit freeze before it hits the ground?
Jan 22, 2005 (38 photos)

... in China but a godsend, especially here. The drivers in China are not exactly the world's safest, and the ones from Harbin are not exactly China's safest. Because it's so cold, the streets are ice. It's difficult to cross as it's so slippery. This also ...

Little China Girl...
Mar 20, 2006 (10 photos)

... chicken (the only dish I knew how to order). The highlight (well actually in context that seems a rather inappropriate word) of Harbin for me (given that I missed the world-renowned Ice Sculpture Festival by a mere day - grr!) was the Japanese Germ ...

Ice
Jan 5, 2006

... the price). Pretty swell, for sure, and its scope was about what I expected---pretty big. It was the highlight of Harbin; however, also pretty interesting was the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Sophia, inside which was housed a small museum which had ...

A Drab Affair. It Once Had Better Days
Feb 4, 2008

Day Twenty-five - Changing Hotels and inside St Sophia's Chinese cities can be very dull, drab, disappointing affairs, and Harbin's no exception. Let's give an example. Apartment blocks, old, looking like prison blocks with bars up at the ...

Intense China
Jul 2, 2008 (167 photos)

... over the people, changing cultural norms in a city of 14 million in just a few years in preparation for the Olympics. Harbin, our last Chinese city, was quieter and easier going. Russia was clearly not far off, an orthodox church graced a main square ...

Encased in ice and no evidence
Jan 9, 2006 (5 photos)

... icy area, marveled at the sculptures entered in the international competition, and took many photos. The second great thing about Harbin was walking across the Songhua River. We reached the edge around three on Tuesday afternoon and decided to cross. ...

Harbin and The Ice Lantern Festival
Jun 8, 2005 (7 photos)

... Then you can slide down, just as long as you're watching you don't fall over the side! Only in China!! I got to hug an arctic fox :) Harbin is a fascinating city. It's very Russian, being near the border. Extremely different from other places in China. ...

A Storm in a Teacup, then Delays and Delays
Feb 5, 2008

Day Twenty-five - I needn't have worried however late the landing I was almost led into another song and dance situation at another airport. Thank goodness it didn't happen for very long! As my flight back to Chongqing was scheduled to depart at 2: 40 ...

Ice sculpture festival
Jan 14, 2007 (30 photos)

Harbin is located in the north most province of China, near Mongolia and Siberia, two places that aren't nice to be in during winter. So why put ourselves through temperatures of between -10 and -30 degrees? A snow festival of course. We arrived in ...

Mrzli Harbin
Feb 28, 2009 (30 photos)

... trgovina ponovno ozivela in je znova mogoce videti veliko novih napisov v Ruscini na trgovinah, restavracijah ter podobnih objektih. Harbin je namrec povezan z zeleznico tako z ruskim mestom Cita na severu, kakor tudi z Vladivostokom na jugu. Ruski ...

Human Popsicles!
Jan 22, 2008 (17 photos)

... , 4 friends and I headed up to icy Harbin for a five day vacation in the cold. And cold it definitely was. Harbin is a city in the Northeast of China, getting pretty close to the border with Russia. So it was about -20 Celcius I would guess most days, and ...

Harbin
Jun 28, 2006 (5 photos)

I spent the day in Harbin, because I had to switch trains on my way to Russia. The city is much different than what I've seen in Beijing or Shanghai. It's feels much poorer and less kept up. It's also of course less touristy (though there are a few ...

New Year in Harbin (Snow and Ice Festivals)
Dec 31, 2008 (72 photos)

pics and story coming - internet been too slow to upload any - will upload once we hit Shnaghai

Harbin for the CSCO and Tiger Feeding
Sep 20, 2007 (25 photos)

Lorenzo's meeting in Harbin was just the excuse we needed to join him on a trek to northern China. Harbin is in the north eastern part of the country, not too far from the Russian border. When people talk about going they ...

Winter wonderland?
Feb 12, 2007

... much about the smog, and hadn't even cringed too much at the hacking and spitting of the general public. Then came Harbin.  First of all, we got in a taxi that completely ripped us off.  Not only was the airport farther away than any ...

Harbin - the chilly north.
Jan 22, 2006 (7 photos)

... chilly. The temperature dropped another 15 degrees to circa - 18 C, time for another couple of layers! Harbin is in the extreme NE of China, roughly 200 miles from Vladivostok and a similar distance from North Korea. The clash of cultures was ...

Waste of time, do you know it?
Oct 12, 2009

... today to get my visa stuff set up. My school set me up with a 7:30am departure from Qiqihar and a 5:00pm departure from Harbin. Each train takes 2.5 hours. I didn't need to be at the government office until 1:30, so I just walked around the city and ...

Ice Buildings and Park in Ice City
Feb 3, 2008 (5 photos)

... picks. I spent a while milling around getting them warm. The thaw-out was not pleasant. Nevertheless, despite the cold, Harbin's drier, sunnier, has a pleasant climate and is an anti-climax from Shanghai. But a return to quieter, more modest ...

Let it snow let it snow
Feb 14, 2007

... no one had attempted to clear.  There wasn't much to do but laugh at the absurdity of the coldest, northenmost province in China having absolutely no snow removal equipment, get off the bus, take a picture from the middle of the grid-locked road, and ...

So Long Shanghai....Hello Harbin
Feb 3, 2008

... , clear management of it, leaves a lot to be desired. Will they ever learn? Just before the plane landed, the announcer said: "Welcome to ice city." Harbin, the capital of Heliongiang  Province is cold, sunny, between -17 to 20 degrees Celsius.

Welcome winter
Feb 14, 2007

After being in Harbin for about a day, we were greeted with a billion tiny reminders that we were, indeed, in northern China.  We started by looking at ice sculptures in a park downtown, featuring complex designs by artists from all over the world. In ...

Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin
Feb 19, 2007 (24 photos)

... of Russia came with the construction of the China Far East Railway, an extension of the Trans-Siberian Railway, and Harbin, known formerly as a fishing village began to prosper as the largest commercial, economical center of North Eastern Asia.  ...

The longest train I've ever experienced.
Jul 26, 2009

... (of which no one warned me before I left would be completely different to the ones at home and somewhat more disgusting....) Reached Harbin and was greeted by the organiser of it all and taken back to our rooms at the university. Me and Elle are sharing ...

SHG - Harhin
Dec 31, 2005

From SHG to Harbin for 3 days togather with Roger, but back alone. The first to be alone in traveling for a bit longer than 12 hrs train. Nothing special, since met a guy who has the experience in working in Ching Hai. Respect and admire him much, he did ...

I Love My Thermal Underwear
Jan 10, 2008 (50 photos)

... find me until I wandered back in with one shoe because my other one was stuck in a snow drift. I was much colder in Harbin. I ended up buying a SKI MASK at the festival because I was seriously going to die without one. Whenever I am cold, my eyes ...

Beautiful jewelry
Oct 14, 2009

The beloved bangle is a catalog of over time. You shouldnt demand this ranging from £35 – £550, and they are all made of different resources – matchless silver, gold, diamonds and enamel. I eventually chose the standard silver one, but I have ...

Harbin (FINALLY!)
Mar 19, 2006 (25 photos)

... on and on to you in Chinese as if you fully understand every word they are saying. Anyway, the evening before we arrived in Harbin we had a lengthy stop over in a town that must be very close to the boarder, this is where we had our first Chinese meal. ...