North Hongjun Jie by mke1963
The slope down from Hongbo Square to the station is a particularly interesting street, architecturally (although I discovered later that photographs of the Russian Officers Club building didn't come out!)The Russian Officers Club stands on the corner opposite the station at the bottom of the hill. The building was constructed in 1904 as the China Eastern Railway Hotel before being converted into the Tsarist Officers Club just three years later. Then after the 1932 Japanese invasion, the club became the residence of the senior Japanese officers.
The most striking part is not the building itself, but the beautiful wrought-iron entrance shelter to protect people from the rain, snow or sun as they arrived at the front doors.
Just above this building are several more, constructed later and used at various times as offices of the military and the railway company.
Side streets to the east contain more beautiful old buildings, many now abandoned but at least (hopefully) protected for the future.
If vernacular or industrial architecture switches you on, ask the friendly gatekeeper at the gateway at the far western end of the station courtyard to let you in to the railway goods yard. The long low sheds are original and remarkably seem to have not a single brick changed since they were built around 1910. To the north, across the railway tracks, the old engine sheds also look completely unchanged and still have the 'triangular' track behind to allow steam engines to be turned around without needing a turntable. Steam engines are no longer seen on the mainline in Harbin, but the water-towers and facilities remain.
