Attractions
Sun Island
The Sun Island Scenic Spot facing the Sidalin Park, separated by the Songhua River. It covers a total area of 38 square kilometers and is characterized by the simple and wild landscape.
It's a wonderful fairyland for townsmen to have a camp, bath and picnic. The Sun Island together with some smaller islands and sandbars constitutes the Sun Island Scenic Spot. It's a good summer resort for traveling and relaxing.There are more than 20 scenic spots on the island, including, the Pavilion on the Water, the Sacred Cranes, the Doe and its Young, the Long Bank and Weeping Willow, etc.
Siberia Tigers Park
The park is located on the north bank of the Songhua River to the northwest of Harbin,
occupying an area of 1,440,000 square meters (355.8 acres). It is the largest natural park
for wild Siberian tigers in the world at present .
There are over 500 purebred Siberian tigers here, with 100 visible to visitors It is a large
park divided into ten areas, including the young tiger area, the mature tiger area, the king
tiger area, a walking area and a platform for viewing the tigers. Except in the walking area
and the platform for viewing the tigers, tourists must take a bus encircled by wire mesh to
all the other scenic spots while the tigers roam freely in the fields.
St. Sop
hia 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). 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'. 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.
The Yabuli 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.
The resort provides great skiing with high mountains and good snow. It is the biggest training centre for alpine skiers and the mountain hosts of many professional skiing 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 among others.
Local Culture and Art
Daoli District
Harbin's cityscape is one of the most unique among Chinese cities. Daoli District is most representative of Harbin's architectural style. Nowadays, a lot of buildings with spires and cupolas have been converted into offices, restaurants, and department stores. The street is composed of cobblestones. Take a walk along the streets in this district and get a taste of what old Harbin used to be.
Ice Sculpture Festival
This festival lasts from early January to mid-February, depending on the weather.
During this period, ice carvers from all over the world come to Harbin to participate in this world famous event. You can see giant pagodas, bridges, lanterns, human figures, and palaces. All these sculptures are decorated with twinkling colorful lights. When night falls, the festival turns into a sea of ice and light.
Harbin Summer Music Festival
Both Russian and Chinese music are main themes in this festival
Dining
Local cuisine of Manchu mixes with Shandong Cuisine and exotic Russian cuisine, to give the important components of the existent Harbin cuisine, even the Heilongjiang cuisine.
It should be mentioned that the locals also prefer fresh vegetables eaten cold with soy sauce or dipped in sauce. Flour based foods and rice are the daily staples of locals. Among them, dumplings are considered to be the predominant.
Local snacks
Lie Ba, is a kind of large Russian bread. Its golden, crack crust and slightly sweet taste will definitely excite your appetite.
Red Sausage and Air-Dried Sausage: Ranking with Lie Ba as a typical Harbin snack,,they are also regarded in great honor by locals.
Songren Xiaodu (pinenuts tripe): The mixture of the two materials aims to enhance the flavor of pork with the refreshing pinenuts.
Shopping
Panax, pilose antler and marten are regarded as the 'Three Treasures' of Northeast China by
the Chinese. Panax (also more commonly know in the West as ginseng) and pilose antler of a young stag are the basis of rare Chinese traditional medicine and health care products, whereas the fur of the marten is used for clothing; these can all be bought in Harbin at very reasonable prices.
Transportation
Air
The Harbin Peace International Airport is the second largest
international airport in Northeast China. There are flights to/from more than 30 large and medium tourist cities, such as, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Qingdao and so on.
Public Bus
The public traffic system in Harbin city is well developed perfect. There are more than one hundred public bus lines In order to cater for tourists' need, two special tourist routes are opened successively.
Taxi
Taxi cost varies depending on taxi types. usually, the flag down price for a Xiali taxi is 7 Yuan for the first three kilometers (about 1.86 miles) and then 1.6 Yuan for every additional kilometer. The starting price of a Jetta taxi is 8 Yuan for the first three kilometers and 1.9 Yuan for every additional kilometer. A Chery taxi costs 7 Yuan for the first three kilometers and 1.9 Yuan every additional kilometer. If the distance is over 12 kilometers, passengers must pay 50 percent surcharge