entral Street

Harbin Central Street was first elected as one of the ten “Chinese history and culture streets”after experts’ selection and people’s vote when the first "Chinese history and culture famous street selection and promotion" activity was announced in Beijing on the 10th.It is the representative and prominent sign of Harbin. Since it becomes the first national commercial pedestrian street on June 1st in 1997, after many times’ building, now the Central Street is a pedestrian street sharing the fame of overseas and collecting business, leisure, fashion, entertainment as a whole. It makes Harbin which is known as “Oriental Little Paris", “Oriental Moscow" more charming.
 
The 1.4-km long street shows an various of European architectural styles buildings. Baroque and Byzantine facades, little Russian bakeries, French fashion houses, American eateries, and Japanese restaurants.This building reflects classic Renaissance architecture.

Sun Island Scenic Area
ocated to the north of the Songhua River main waterway,Covering a total area of 38 square kilometers, the Sun Island is characterized by the simple and wild northern field landscape. Sun Island Scenic Area was founded in 1964 the Sun Island Scenic Area was famous in the world.covering an area of 88 square km. This is a paradise with amazing scenery, surrounded by pure blue water, boasts crystal lakes, wooden rockeries, beautiful flowers and exotic buildings. Sun Island is located to the north of the Songhua River main waterway with amazing scenery. 

Harbin Polar Land
Harbin Polar Land is located outside the Front Entrance of Harbin Sun Island Park of Songbei District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province. It is a large theme park of polar land scenes which combines the exhibition and the experience of the polar land scenes and the polar land animals together. It was established and opened to the public on December 28, 2005. The main body of Harbin Polar Land consists of beautiful shells. The building area is 16,000 square meters. The sea water body of Polar Land is over 4,000 tons. The amount of the total investment is RMB 200,000,000 Yuan. Harbin Polar Land takes “Real Life on Polar Land” as the theme. It was specially designed for the ice and snow tourism of Harbin by Dalian Shengya Industry Academy with several world famous top grade masters of theme park conceptual designing. The brand new conceptual designing ideal which meets the international standard will make the tourists experience a happy, wonderful and real polar land experience journey.

   
Harbin Ice and Snow World
First set-up by the Harbin Municipal Government in 1999, Harbin Ice and Snow World is by far the largest ice and snow art exhibition in the world. It is commonly referred to as possessing four of the key 'mosts': the most art attractions, the most beautiful night views, the most recreational activities and the most forms of entertainment. Furthermore, the festival is constantly evolving and each year brings with it a new theme, providing visitors with a totally unique experience from one year to the next. The ice carvings at the Harbin Ice and Snow World are regarded as some of the world's finest examples of ice art, with visitors able to admire some of the largest and most majestic ice-sculpted masterpieces. Each of these ice carvings are designed in some way related to the festival's theme, enabling travelers to sample a variety of cultural flavors. For example, in its first year the festival's layout was designed around the idea of 'Prosperous China and High-flying Longjiang', with the ice carvings depicting the rapid development of the country. In 2005, the theme was 'Friendship between China and Russia', with all the sculptures fashioned in a typical Russian style. Among them were replicas of some of Russia's most famous architecture, such as the East Palace, and Moscow's Red Square. One of the highlights for any visitor to the festival is to visit the site at night when multicolored lights set underground illuminate the sculptures, revealing a whole new colorful dimension to the exhibits.

The contrasts of the bright and dazzling lights against the dark night sky make the works look all the more spectacular. Harbin Ice and Snow World is also a centre for various forms of recreation and entertainment, with a variety of opportunities on offer. Visitors will be amazed by the magnificent ice buildings, including an ice maze, ice bar, and even an ice hotel. If you are a fan of snow sports, then there is also the chance to participate in activities such as ice rock-climbing, skating, skiing, sliding, snow fights, ice golf, and ice archery. In addition to all this, special performances based on the festival theme are put on throughout the event which will no doubt greatly entertain those in search of something a little less physically-demanding. Understandably, the best time to travel to Harbin is during the winter. The Harbin Ice Festival is held either in late December or in early January, and for those who dream of a proper winter experience, Harbin Ice and Snow World is the place to make those dreams become a reality.

   
Dreary Red former Dwelling
The female writer dreary red former dwelling, was situated south theHarbin Hulan zone two streets 204, the beginning constructs in 1908(Guangxu 34). The former dwelling for the end of the Qing traditioneight banners type dwelling, the blue brick grey tile, theconstruction structure, was a model has the Manchu nationality stylethe north common people residence. The dreary red former dwelling blue brick courtyard wall, east thecourtyard facade opens, in the courtyard five standard widths mainrooms, Xiao Hongjiu was born in this house. In 1986 is decided as theprovincial level cultural relic preservation organ, after the repairwards off for the dreary red memorial hall. Xiao Hong is the Chinese 30's renowned female writers, was born toJune 1, 1911 (clear Xuantong Period three years old calendar in Mayfifth day). Original Zhang Xiuhuan, latter changes Zhang Naiying, sheuses the pen name dreary red publication work, has the profoundinfluence in the Chinese and foreign literary arena. Has "the HulanRiver Biography" on behalf of the work, "Life and death Field", "HorseBole", "Xiaocheng in March" as well as disperses the anthology"Business City streets" and so on. On January 22, 1942 died fromillness in a Hong Kong small hospital, year only 31 years old. Thisposition the female writer, to ten years creationprofession, actually did not give the motherland literature treasurehouse to leave behind more than 1 million characters literaturevaluable things.

The dreary red former dwelling is the very typical north villageconstruction. Regarding this old dwelling, Xiao Hong in a book hassuch description in "the Hulan River Biography": "My family livesthese five between houses... ... Is a five between row of main room,the kitchen in among, is the glass window in once, blue brick wall,between tile-roofed house." These writing have recorded north thecommon people residence characteristic well. The dreary red former dwelling is retaining the Manchu nationalitycommon people residence construction style, in the structure is fivepurlin five doves, soft mountain, Ming Tuo, half . About thewindows and doors, the window uses to starts, has the plate intestinesgrate design, middle mounts glass north, all around papers the uniquewindow paper. The middle door, has used "the Suzhou gate", as the namesuggests, is the Chiangnan region of rivers and lakes product, may seethe Chinese culture the fusion. But the room back door is north thetraditional board gate. In the room is the heated kang which thenortherner lives. The Manchu nationality common people residence another characteristicalso manifests in the dreary red former dwelling old dwelling, is withthe main room parallel chimney, the blue brickwork becomes, builds by4, the height 7 meters, the heated kang are interlinked with the roomin. Is interlinked partially is named as the chimney bridge.

   
St. Sophia Church
St. Sophia Church in Harbin is the largest Eastern Orthodox Church in the Far East. It is 53.3 meters (175 feet) high and occupies an area of 721 square meters (0.18 acres). In November, 1996, it was listed as one of the Key Cultural Relics under State Protection. Half a year later, the Harbin City government repaired it and renamed it as Harbin Art Gallery. It is a respectable landmark for Harbiners and for tourism. St. Sophia Church has a complex history. Shortly after the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901), the Russian built the church of timber in March, 1907. Then, the Russian rebuilt it using masonry and timber four years later. The onset of a second reconstruction by Russian was marked on September 23rd, 1923, and a ceremony was held to celebrate laying the corner stone. It was completed on November 25th, 1932, after nine years, and was hailed as a monumental work of art. The Byzantine style church is so beautiful, it is said to look as if it had been made by God's hands. In fact, St. Sophia means 'God's wisdom'. Having a Latin cross footprint, the church's original shape was preserved during reconstruction.

The church has four floors and is accessible by a door on each side. Until the 1960's, the bell tower over the entrance housed 7 bells of different sizes and tones. When there were religious festivals in the past, a well-trained ringer would play musical progressions, tolling the bells with ropes tied to his hands and feet. The bells resounded to the skies. By the 1990's, St. Sophia had undergone considerable decline. The church no longer was in use, and residential apartments and office buildings surrounded it. Magnificent Russian painted murals that adorned the church's arched walls were destroyed out of recognition. While in 1997, the Harbin government under took to undo the decades of deterioration. But as the original Russian murals were lost completely, they were replaced by topically new murals depicting the architectural history of the Harbin community. And crosses that were removed in six places were replaced. Now, the murals, pendent lamps, dome and the bell tower are restored to their original splendor. Tips: For the photographer, photography is permitted by purchasing a special ticket to hang on your camera.

Yuquan Hunting Ground
Yuquan Hunting Ground (Yuquan shouliechang) is currently the biggest close hunting ground in China. It is located to the west of Harbin, on the sub range of the Changbai Mountain (Changbaishan).

With a total area of 3000 hectares, the hunting ground enjoys forest coverage of 80 percent and has seventeen peaks all over 3000m. Clean streams and rare plants can be found throughout the region, which is home to various specious of wildlife including goats, deer and rabbits. Please remember to leave those Siberian Tigers alone.  Besides hunting, the resort also provides lodging in its uniquely designed traditional hunter's wooden domes, skiing, barbecue and horse riding.

This is perhaps not the nicest of activities that is to be had in China, although hunting is not the only thing that can be done here. It is considered only to be for those with a bit of wealth on their hands as there are a few heavy expenses to be considered beyond travel, accommodation and food, most importantly a variable per animal fee.

How to get there: Take the No.207 tourist train to Yuquan town (62km west of Harbin), and then take a taxi from the town to the resort.
   
Ice Lantern Exhibition
The First Ice Lantern Exhibition was held in 1963. During the Cultural Revolution it was canceled off and on, but resumed permanently in 1985. It is held in the Zhaolin Park every winter and covers an area of 6.5 hectares. About 1500 works are annually on show, with about 2000 cubic blocks of ice used. It has been developed into a large-scale outdoor Ice Lantern Exhibition that invites artists from all over China and the world, exploring a new theme each year. A yearly activity for Harbin, past themes have included tributes to Communist-era leaders, the Seven World Wonders, and most recently in 2007 a Canadian theme to Canadian doctor Norman Bethune who helped the Chinese during the Sin-Japanese War. The scenery of ice blocks run through with neon lights used to create the largest ice sculptures in the world is an amazing one. Harbin's artists use ice to create all kinds of ice-sculpture works of art, from the small self portraits found throughout the city, to the Guinness Book of World Records holder for largest ice sculpture, a monument to Niagara Falls built last year which was 250 meters long, 28 feet high, and used over 13,000 cubic meters of snow. With some modern technological means, artists and craftsmen turn pieces of natural ice into many fine and vivid ice-lantern works of art. The whole park is changed into an ice world and a lantern sea. Every year, there are new changes in the Ice Lantern Exhibition. It's therefore referred to as "a non-repetitive fairy tale forever" by locals.

   
Heilongjiang Provincial Museum
As a provincial-level comprehensive museum, Heilongjiang Provincial Museum is located in a compound ( 50 Red Army Street, Nangang District). It was built in 1906 in European Baroque style and run by the provincial government.
 
This museum is a science center of Heilongjiang for collecting, researching, and exhibiting its history, cultural relics, arts, propagations and so on. It occupies an area of 12.000 square meters. In the museum, there are more than 107.000 collections. The collections are various, arranged from mammoth fossils to coins  from each Chinese dynasty. Among them, the fossils of paleoanthropoids of Wuchangxuetian Village (a place in Heilongjiang) prove  existence of human activities in Heilongjiang area as early as more than 20.000 years ago. The silk fabrics excavated from Chengzhi Village of Juyuan County in Harbin enrich the records in the field of clothing  of Jin dynasty. The high completeness of the fossils displayed in the museum is rare at home and abroad. And there are some other exhibitions such as Heilongjiang Historical Relics Exhibition, Heilongjiang Ancient Animals Exhibition, Early Engravings of the Great Northern Wilderness and so on.  Most of the collections there are of strong characters, worth visiting very much.

   
Confucius Temple
Construction work of the Confucius Temple in Harbin began in 1926 and completed in 1929. The temple ground occupies an area of 23.000 square meters and its construction area is 4418 square meters now. It is not only the most complete existing old building in Heilongjiang, but the largest Confucian temple in the northeastern part of China. The structure of this temple, oriented north and south, consists of three courtyards, which belgons to the typical Qing dynasty architectural style.

The forecourt in the south with the green pine and cypress in the yard is the entering gate to the temple. In the south of the forecourt, there is a pond which looks like the moon, and the bridge over the pool looks like a rainbow. There is a "Million-side Palace Hall" (commonly known as Shadow Wall) with the azure stone in the south of the pond. The Lingxing Gate in the north of the pond is a wood torii. Lingxing Gate, together with another two Chinese-style arches (one is in the east of the courtyard, the other is in the west) are called "Three Arches".   

The middle courtyard is the main part of the Confucius Temple. The main hall in this courtyard is called Dacheng Hall. The foundation of it is rounded by bowlder balustrades. And the verandah is magnificent with various colors which make people feel dignified and superb. The sculptures of Confucius, Sipei deities and 12 memorial tablets of sages were arranged in the hall. On both sides of the main hall are another two small halls which lines the memorial tablets of disciples of
Confucius.

The whole architectural complexes are very suitable for the environment there making this area a scroll of beautiful painting.

   
Jile Temple (Jile si)
The Jile Temple was built in the 1920s. It covers an area of 57000 square meters. It's one of four famous Buddhism temples in Northeast China. It's on a par with the Banruo Temple in Changchun, the Ci'en Temple in Shenyang and the Lengyan Temple in Yingkou.

The overall layout and architectural structure of the temple all maintain the style and feature of Chinese traditional temple buildings. The main buildings are the temple gate, the bell tower, the drum tower, the Tianwang Hall, the main hall of the Buddha, the Sansheng hall, the east side hall and the west side hall. In the tower yard, there are the Seven-Storied Buddha Stupa, the Yuanji Biqiu Tower, the Five-Hundred-Arhat Hall, the Forty Eight Wish Hall, etc.. The Seven-Storied Buddha Stupa is a pavilion with eight angles and seven floors. It's in the shape of the cone. It's made of bricks. It's well designed with clean lines. The whole temple is not only splendid but also solemn. It is the Buddhism Holy Land of North China. A large number of Buddhism pilgrims crowd here every year. It's a famous scenic spot. It attracts lots of tourists from home and abroad to come here for visiting.

   
Siberian Tiger Park
The SiberianTiger Park covers an area of 1.2 million square meters. It is adjacent to the Sun Island Scenic Spot, separated by the Songhua River. It was built in order to save and protect the endangered Siberian Tiger. There is a garden for grown tigers, a garden for cubs, and a popular science exhibition hall in the park. The garden for grown tigers covers 360,000 square meters with 30 feral adult tigers. Travelers can wander through it in a special sightseeing car. There are more than 40 cubs in the cub garden, all of them less than three years old. They are very lovely. Travelers can walk along the gallery to view them as they linger through groups of tigers. They can appreciate the adventurous and exciting scene, which are brought by the fighting between tigers and cattle as well as the fighting between tigers for food. Their desire for returning to nature and seeking for exploration is satisfied.

   
Harbin Zhaolin Park
Harbin Zhaolin Park is situated in the busy  city center. Zhaolin Park was built in 1906, whose initial name was "Directorate's Park". Then the park's name was changed to "Park of Special municipality", and then to "Park of Daoli District". Until March 24th, 1946, when a general named Li Zhaolin was buried in the park, it got its name Zhaolin Park given by Heilongjiang Provinceial government.

Under unique climatic conditions, Zhaolin Park has two characteristic natural scenes in summer and winter.In summer, the pleasant outlook is composed of flourishing greenery, fragrant-grasses and flowers in full blossom.  The small gardens in it have unique styles, such as "northern garden", "reflecting-moonshine garden", "southern greenhouse", "clove garden", luring you with their charm and beauty.

In winter, Zhaolin Park is a world of ice lanterns. The world-famous ice lantern garden party was held there annually during the past 25 years. And now, processed with modern technology, the ice lantern garden parties there are becoming more and more colorful and funny. The ice lanterns are designed followed the beautiful sceneries all over the world. In such a supernatural ice-snow world, you will enjoy yourself so much as to be reluctant to leave. Millions of visitors are attracted to this garden party by its world-known reputation. They enjoyed the marvel and magnificence of ice-and-snow in the north of China.

Erlongshan Ski Resort
Erlongshan Ski resort has snow cover for 170 days per year with an annual average temperature of 15 centigrade degree.Erlongshan has two trails for beginners, 6 runs for intermediate and advanced skiers. The child ski ground is the first of its kind in China. The ski resort covers around 780,000 square meters, and is capable of holding 4,000 skiers at the same time. The lift from the resort base to the top offers unique views of undulating countryside.

The unique feature of the Erlongshan Snow Resort is the accessibility of all the resort's facilities. All of the sports amenities are just a few minute's walk from your room.

For skiers' convenience, a safety facility has been set up to ensure skiers' safety and create a worry free environment.Skier beginners may want to take a lesson or two to improve their skills. Skiing instructors at the resort teach all ages from beginners to experienced skiers in need of a tune up.

   
Yabuli International Ski Resort
The Yabuli International Ski Resort, the biggest and best ski resort in China, is 200 kilometers (124 miles) east of Harbin and 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Mudanjiang in Shangzhi City, Heilongjiang Province. During the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), the resort was the hunting ground for feudal lords. The resort provides great skiing with high mountains and good snow. Local skiers enjoy the high elevation and the fact that the snow is neither too hard nor too powdery. The lowest temperature is -47.2F. Because of the high elevation, snow falls for a long period of about 170 days. The period from November to late March of the next year is the best time to ski at Yabuli Ski Resort. The ski resort includes two distinctive areas: the competitive section and the leisure skiing section. The alpine competitive skiing section reaches an altitude of 1,374 meters (approx. 4,508 feet). Built according to international standard, this section provides an excellent environment for professional skiers. In the leisure skiing section, the highest altitude is only about 1,000 meters (approx. 3,281 feet), and the area provides a comparatively safe environment for leisure skiing.

There is also a German built slide where tourists can enjoy sliding down from the top of the snowy mountain. Doing skiing on the slide is easy and safe, bringing visitors a thrilling experience. Yabuli Ski Resort is the biggest training centre for alpine skiers and the mountain hosts of many professional skiing competitions. In 1996 the 3rd Winter Asian Games was held here along with numerous the National Winter Games and other national and provincial competitions. Besides skiing, visitors can also take advantage of the other entertainment facilities at the resort, such as the mini golf course, tennis court, turf courts, hot-air balloons, para-gliders among others. The combination of activities, the beautiful forest and comfortable facilities offer tourists a relaxing and fun vacation. In winter, the ski resort is a fantastic place for skiers; in summer tourists can escape the heat and enjoy fun outdoor activities. All year round the resort offers beautiful scenery. To reach there, via public transportation, you can take D61, D63, T479 or T481 train from the Harbin Train Station to the Yabuli Train Station. Once at the train station, take a bus to the skiing resort. Via private car, take the 301 National Highway to the resort.

   
Yueliang Wan (Moon Bay) Ski Resort
Harbin Yueliang Wan (Moon Bay) Ski Resort is located in Harbin city, bordering the beautiful Sun Island. It covers an area of 200000 square meters. A 2000-square meter comprehensive mall perfectly combines entertainment, accommodation, and relaxation. The resort boasts of favorable location and convenient transportation and a near distance from the newly-built "Snow and Ice World". To its east, stands the snow sculpture park on the Sun Island. To its north, lies the Tiger Zoo. Watching winter swimming, snow sculpture, and tiger and then skiing in Harbin Yueliang Wan Ski Resort has become a hot tour itinerary for travelers to Harbin.

To welcome ski lovers from home and abroad, Yueliang Wan Ski Resort has done an expansion and amendment to its field. The expanded comprehensive hall possesses standard rooms, karaoke room, poolroom and the like. The indoor service zone can provide coffee, hot tea and souvenirs.

The overall ski field totals 65000 square meters. It has intermediate run which is 450 meters long, 25 meters high, 40 meters wide and 36 degrees slope and elementary run which is 240 meters long, 16 meters high, 25 meters wide and a run for children. Meanwhile three ropeways can take the skiers to the top of the trail quickly. Harbin Yueliang Wan (Moon Bay) Ski Resort exclusively presents "skiing under light" activity which means you can enjoy skiing at a romantic night. Such activities as riding horse, taking snow sled driven by dogs can bring more fun to your skiing experience.

   
Wujimi Ski Resort
Wujimi Ski Resort is located 9 kilometers west of Shangzhi city, 115 kilometers away from Harbin and near No.301 national expressway. Wujimi Ski Resort which lies against the north flank of Sifang Ding (square flat) Mountain is a SSS-level ski resort of Heilongjiang province. The ski season is between the months of November through March next year, lasting 120 days or so. In 2004, Harbin Wumiji Ski Resort Company Ltd. invested a huge sum of money to upscale the resort. After the expansion, 18 runs which total 21 kilometers will come into use. Up to now, 5 runs have been opened with the total length of 5000 meters. Meanwhile, 3 lifts, 1 cable and 6 tod-type snowmakers are provided by the resort. The comprehensive mall can provide accommodation, entertainment at the same time. No need to worry about the skiing equipment for the skiing equipment building can supply up to 500 suits. 4 European style villas are newly built. After the expansion, the resort can accommodate up to 300 people and provide skiing field big enough for 3000 people. The resort has also established a skiing school with more than 50 coaches. Besides skiing, visitors can also enjoy snow sled driven by dogs and snow motor and snow flying saucer and skating.

   
Yuquan Ski Resort
Situated on Zhangguang cai Mountain Range(Heilongjiang province) ,65 miles north western of Harbin, Yuquan Ski Resort borders the largest hunting park in Asia and is surrounded by 17 picturesque mountains with the highest one, Dark Stone Mountain, 547 meters above sea level. The hunting park occupies an area of 3000 hectares and mountains are covered by greenery. The park boasts of more than 60 kinds of trees, 40-some kinds of birds and thousands of deer. Built in 1930s, the resort is no doubt the oldest one in China and some of the tourist sites in the resort can date back to Song dynasty. Yuquan Ski Resort can offer most to the beginners for its long skiing season, high-quality snow, convenient slope, cables and free-style ski trails. Meanwhile, it is an entertainment place which perfectly combines skiing with hunting. For example, the tourists can play snow sledge driven by horses, snowball, snowing balloon and ride horses. The hotel here can accommodate more than 3000 people and hold intermediate business meeting at the same time.