Harbin

About Harbin

Harbin is the northernmost provincial capital in China and the easiest city in the Northeast to read in winter: the cobbles of Central Street run from the river into the old town between Baroque and eclectic facades, while the green onion domes of Saint Sophia Cathedral stand out against the snow. From late December the Ice and Snow World turns the riverbank into a city of carved ice that lights up after dark. Laodaowai still keeps its 1920s Chinese Baroque courtyards, and the street food runs to red sausage, guobaorou and fresh-baked bread. Yabuli and Snow Town lie east, Changbai Mountain south, Mohe north — almost every Northeast winter route starts here.