Harbin
Harbin or Hā'ěrbīn is the capital of Heilongjiang, China, and the largest city of the province—as well as the second largest urban population and the largest metropolitan population in Northeast China.
Harbin has direct jurisdiction over nine metropolitan districts, two county-level cities, and seven counties. It is the eighth most populous Chinese city according to the 2020 census. The built-up area of Harbin has 5,841,929 inhabitants, while the total metropolitan population is up to 10,009,854, making it one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. Harbin serves as a key political, economic, scientific, cultural, and communications hub in Northeast China, as well as an important industrial base of the nation.
Worth seeing
Russian Buildings. Harbin's old quarter, which covers a wide area of the city near the Songhua River, is still today mostly made up of buildings that were constructed by the Russians at the turn of the 19th century. Most of them are built in baroque or byzantine style with spires and cupolas and interesting shades of yellow, white, green, or red. While St.
Things to do
= = By far Harbin's biggest claim to fame, the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival (哈尔滨国际冰雪节 Hā'ěrbīn Guójì Bīngxuě Jié) is held every year, running from early January until warm weather erodes the constructions (exact dates vary). Throughout the city you will find small ice and snow sculptures during the festival, however there are three major sites with large ice and snow sculptures on display.
Where to eat
If there is one thing special about Harbin, it has to be the food. Taking influences from Russia, Mongolia, Korea and of course China, the food in Harbin is much "heartier" than you can find anywhere in China, and stews and other duncai are popular dishes. Because the winters are long here you'll find fewer exotic ingredients and heavy use of vegetables like cabbage, potatoes, cucumber and corn.
Getting around Harbin the local way
- Get aroundIn summer, several ferries operate along the Songhua River, mainly travelling between the north and south banks of the river.
From Wikivoyage: Harbin, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.