Harbin
Harbin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Harbin 哈尔滨 Харби́н |
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| — Sub-provincial city — | |||
| 哈尔滨市 | |||
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| Nickname(s): Ice City, Oriental Paris | |||
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  Harbin
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Coordinates:  45°45′N 126°38′E / 45.75°N 126.633°E / 45.75; 126.633 |
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| Country | China | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Province | Heilongjiang | ||
| County-level divisions | 19 | ||
| Area | |||
| - Sub-provincial city | 53,796 km2 (20,770.8 sq mi) | ||
| - Urban | 4,275 km2 (1,650.6 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 150 m (488 ft) | ||
| Population | |||
| - Sub-provincial city | 9,873,742 | ||
| - Density | 183.5/km2 (475.4/sq mi) | ||
| - Urban | 4,754,753 | ||
| - Urban Density | 1,112.2/km2 (2,880.6/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | China Standard Time (UTC+8) | ||
| Postal code | 150000 | ||
| Area code(s) | 451 | ||
| License plate prefixes | 黑A | ||
| GDP (2008) | CNY 286.82 billion | ||
| - per capita | CNY 29,012 | ||
| Website | www.harbin.gov.cn | ||
Harbin (help·info) (simplified Chinese: 哈尔滨; traditional Chinese: 哈爾濱; pinyin: Hāěrbīn; Wade-Giles: Ha-erh-pin; Russian Харби́н (help·info) Kharbin) is a sub-provincial city and the capital of the Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China. It lies on the southern bank of the Songhua River.
Harbin is ranked as the tenth largest city in China, serving as a key
political, economic, scientific, cultural and communications center of
Northeastern China.
Harbin is originally a Manchu word meaning "a place for drying fishing nets". Harbin bears the nicknames "The Pearl on the swan's neck" because the shape of Heilongjiang resembles a swan, and "Ice City" for its long and cold winter. This city is most famous for its beautiful display of ice sculptures in winter and is known as China’s gateway to trade with Russia. In the 1920s, Harbin was considered to be the fashion capital of China as new designs from Paris and Moscow reached here first before arriving in Shanghai.[1]
[hide] Weather averages for Harbin, China  |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | -13 (9) |
-9 (16) |
2 (36) |
13 (55) |
21 (70) |
26 (79) |
28 (82) |
26 (79) |
21 (70) |
12 (54) |
0 (32) |
-10 (14) |
|
| Daily Mean °C (°F) | -19 (-2) |
-15 (5) |
-7 (19) |
7 (45) |
15 (59) |
20 (68) |
23 (73) |
21 (70) |
15 (59) |
6 (43) |
-6 (21) |
-15 (5) |
2 (36) |
| Average low °C (°F) | -25 (-13) |
-22 (-8) |
-11 (12) |
0 (32) |
8 (46) |
14 (57) |
18 (64) |
16 (61) |
9 (48) |
0 (32) |
-11 (12) |
-21 (-6) |
|
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 3 (0.12) |
5 (0.2) |
10 (0.39) |
21 (0.83) |
37 (1.46) |
78 (3.07) |
159 (6.26) |
115 (4.53) |
60 (2.36) |
23 (0.91) |
8 (0.31) |
5 (0.2) |
524 (20.63) |
| Avg. rainy days | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 96 |
| Source: Illinois State Climatologist Data[2] July 2007 | |||||||||||||
Contents[hide] |
History
Human settlement in the Harbin area dates from at least 2200 BC (late Stone Age). It was formerly called Pokai.
The modern city of Harbin originated in 1898 from a small village, with the start of the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway (KVZhD) by Russia, an extension of the Trans-Siberian Railway, shortcutting substantially the distance to Vladivostok and creating a link to the port city of Dalny (Dalian) and the Russian Naval Base Port Arthur.
Following the Russian defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-5), Russia's influence declined, and several thousand nationals from 33 countries including the United States, Germany, and France moved to Harbin. Sixteen countries established consulates and set up several hundred industrial, commercial and banking companies in Harbin. The Chinese also established their own businesses in brewing, food and the textile industry. Harbin had established its status as the center of northeastern China and as an international metropolis.
In December 1918, during the Russian Civil War, defeated Russian White Guards and refugees retreated to the city: it then became a major centre of White Russian émigrés. The city became the largest Russian enclave outside Russia. The Jewish community was formed by Russian Jews and included a group of German Jews, who fled Nazi Germany in the late 1930s. Under the pro bono efforts by Japanese government officials, they later emigrated to several cities in western Japan, notably Kobe, to ensure their safety and prosperity and established the largest synagogue in Japan. The Russians established the Russian school system and published Russian language newspapers and journals.
With the establishment of Manchukuo, Japanese troops occupied Harbin on 4 February 1932. In 1935 the Soviet Union sold the railway (KVZhD) to the Japanese, which resulted in the first exodus of Russian emigres from Manchuria and Harbin in particular. The bulk of the departing Russians went back to the Soviet Union, while a substantial number moved south to Shanghai or emigrated to the United States and Australia.
The Soviet Army took the city on 20 August 1945 and Harbin never came under the control of the Kuomintang, whose troops stopped 60 km short of the city. The city's administration was transferred by the departing Soviet Army to the Chinese People's Liberation Army in April 1946.
During the short occupation of Harbin by the Soviet Army (August 1945 to April 1946), thousands of Russian emigres who fled communism after the revolution, were forcibly moved to the Soviet Union. The rest of the European community (Russians, Germans, Poles, Greeks etc.) emigrated during the years 1950-54 to Australia, Brazil and the USA, or were repatriated to their home countries. By 1988 the original Russian community numbered just thirty, all of them elderly.
The eight Harbin counties originally formed part of Shokako/Songhuajiang Prefecture (松花江地区), and became incorporated into Harbin on 11 August 1999, making Harbin a sub-provincial city.
Toxic leak in benzene factory
A benzene plant situated upstream in the city of Jilin along the Songhua river exploded on 13 November 2005. Benzene levels reached more than 100 times normal levels, which led authorities in Harbin to shut off the water supply, and some residents left the city while others rushed to buy bottled water. After a few days the water supply was restored. The Harbin government originally declared to the public that the water supply was temporarily off while the supply system was checked. They also denied reports of a chemical leak, claiming that it was "just a rumour."[3]
Subdivisions
The sub-provincial city of Harbin has direct jurisdiction over 8 districts (区 qu), 3 county-level cities (市 shi) and 7 Counties (县 xian):
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Subdivision | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harbin City Proper | Harbin Suburban and Rural | ||||
| ■ Daoli-qu | 道里区 | ■ Hulan-qu | 呼兰区 | ||
| ■ Nangang-qu | 南岗区 | ■ Acheng-qu | 阿城区 | ||
| ■ Xiangfang-qu | 香坊区 | ■ Shangzhi-shi | 尚志市 | ||
| ■ Daowai-qu | 道外区 | ■ Shuangcheng-shi | 双城市 | ||
| ■ Pingfang-qu | 平房区 | ■ Wuchang-shi | 五常市 | ||
| ■ Songbei-qu | 松北区 | ■ Fangzheng-xian | 方正县 | ||
| ■ Bin-xian | 宾县 | ||||
| ■ Yilan-xian | 依兰县 | ||||
| ■ Bayan-xian | 巴彦县 | ||||
| ■ Tonghe-xian | 通河县 | ||||
| ■ Mulan-xian | 木兰县 | ||||
| ■ Yanshou-xian | 延寿县 | ||||
Economy
While Dalian is considered the region’s shipping center and Shenyang its financial hub, Harbin is striving hard towards becoming the key trade and shopping center of the region. Already, stores in the city include Missoni, Etro, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace, Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, Armani Collezioni, Emporio Armani, and Christian Dior.The city is located in one of the fastest growing regions in the world and can boast a number of advantages such as an abundance of natural resources, good transport system and plenty of human resources.[4]
In 2008, Harbin's GDP reached RMB286.82 billion, an increase of 13.2 percent over the previous year. Tertiary industry output remained the largest component of GDP reaching RMB140.04 billion, an increase of 13.9 percent from the previous year. The total value for imports and exports by the end of 2008 was US$3.64 billion.[5]
The soil in Harbin, called “black earth” is one the most nutrient rich in all of China, making it valuable for cultivating food and textile-related crops. As a result, Harbin is China’s base for the production of commodity grain and an ideal location for setting up agricultural businesses. Harbin also has industries such as light industry, textile, medicine, foodstuff, automobile, metallurgy, electronics, building materials, and chemicals which help to form a fairly comprehensive industrial system. Harbin Power Equipment Group Company and Northeast Light Alloy Processing Factory are two key enterprises. Harbin is also known as the capital of “power manufacturing”; hydro and thermal power equipment manufactured here makes up one-third of the total installed capacity in China. [6]
Foreign investors seem upbeat about the city. The Harbin Trade and Economic fair, has been held for 17 years annually, cumulatively attracting more than 1.3 million exhibitors and visitors and resulting in contracts of over US$90 billion. Japanese, Russian and Eastern European nations are increasingly looking to North China and Harbin for investment. Foreign direct investment remains low, but is growing as a result of government efforts, with utilized FDI totaling US$570 million, up 28.1 percent, in 2008. [7]
Harbin is also home to Harbin Institute of Technology, one of China’s better known universities. Founded in 1920, the university has developed into an important research university focusing on engineering, with supporting faculties in the sciences, management, humanities and social sciences. The institute's faculty and students contributed to and invented China's first analog computer, the first intelligent chess computer, and the first arc-welding robot. Last year, research funding from the government, industry, and business sectors surpassed RMB1.13 billion, the second highest of any university in China. [8]
Economic Development Zones and Ports[9]
- Harbin Development Zone
- Harbin Economic and Technological Development Zone
- Harbin High and New Technological Development Zone
- Harbin Port
- Daqing High-tech Industrial Development Zone
Infrastructure
Harbin is one of the largest railway hubs in Northeast China. Five major railways (Jingha, Binsui, Binzhou, Binbei and Labin) meet here. Currently 138 trains terminate in or pass through Harbin daily, with trains available to Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Jinan and many other major cities in China. [10]
The Harbin Taiping International Airport is the second largest international airport in Northeast China. There are flights to/from more than 30 large and medium-sized cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong.[11]
There are more than 1,900 rivers in Heilongjiang, including the Songhua River, Heilongjiang River and Wusulijiang River, creating a convenient system of waterway transportation. Harbin harbor is one of eight inland ports in China and the largest of its type in Northeast China. Available from mid-April until the beginning of November, passenger ships sail from Harbin up the Songhua River to Qiqihar, or downstream to Jiamusi, Tongjiang, and Khabarovsk in Russia.[12]
Architecture
Called the Oriental St. Petersburg, Harbin is considered one of China's most beautiful cities. The city is well-known for its unique, Russian and European-influenced architecture.
Zhong Yang Street (Central Street, also known as Kitaiskaya St.), one of the main business streets in Harbin, is a perfect remnant of the bustling international business activities at the turn of the 20th century. The 1.4-km long street is a veritable museum of European architectural styles: Baroque and Byzantine façades, little Russian bakeries, French fashion houses, American eateries, and Japanese restaurants.
The Russian Orthodox church, Saint Sophia Cathedral, is also located in this central district of Daoli. St. Sophia took nine years to build and was completed in 1932. It has now been made into a museum as a showcase of the multi-cultural architecture of Harbin.
Many citizens believe that the Orthodox church damaged the local feng shui, so they donated money to build a Chinese monastery in 1921, the Ji Le Temple. There were more than 15 Russian Orthodox churches and two cemeteries in Harbin until 1949. Mao's Communist Revolution, and the subsequent Cultural Revolution, saw many of them destroyed. Now, about 10 churches remain, while services are held only in one (Church of the Intercession in Harbin).
Culture
The Harbin local culture is based on Han culture, combined with Manchu culture and Russian culture. This combination of cultures influences the local architecture style, food, customs. Harbin is famous for its standard Mandarin pronunciation. It's a very good place to study Mandarin. As the says goes 'If you want to study Chinese language, come to China. If you want to study Mandarin, come to Beijing. If you want to study standard Mandarin, come to Harbin.'
Russian influence
Harbin today is still very much influenced by its Russian past. A city once under Russian rule, it is now a center of trade with that country.
The influence 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.
Tsarist Russia encouraged Russian settlement in their important Trans-Siberian-Railway outpost by waiving the then 25 year long military service. For Jews who settled there, the restrictions applying in Russia were also waived.
The local cuisine in Harbin is also Russian-influenced. Harbin's bakeries are famous for their bread (lie-ba in local dialect, derived from the Russian word khleb for "bread"). Harbin's sausages (qiu-lin hong-chang) are another notable product, in that they tend to be of a much more European flavour than other Chinese sausages.
Winter culture
Harbin is located in Northeast China under the direct influence of the cold winter wind from Siberia. The average temperature in summer is 21.2 degrees Celsius, −16.8 degrees Celsius in winter.
The annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival has been held since 1985. Although the official start date is January 5th each year, in practice, many of the sculptures can be seen before. While there are ice sculptures throughout the city, there are two main exhibition areas: En