Fun things to do in Harbin

take a 2hour train ride up north to the ski village locally known as Yabuli. 40RMB
amazing beginner's slope! go to the farthest ski resort. lotsa people though but the slope's great, distance is longer than others.

back to harbin, take the daytrip that brings you to LongTa (dragon tower), Sofia church (Russian orthodox), winter swimming spectacle (not much), PolarBearLand, snow sculpture and ice sculpture. we got it for 100rmb/pax, lunch incl.

if got time, take a walk at the walking street. lotsa small russian souvenir shops - dont be fooled by the russian chocolates. they're not as good, but the cheapest u can get from the grocery should be less than 10rmb.

buy the russian dolls too! called TaoWa in chinese. But shop around first before making a purchase. and haggle!

The russian influence on architecture is all over the place, so have ur cams handy.

temperature? was there during the lunar new year, so it dipped as low as -22deg, and at Yabuli it dipped -30deg.

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In late November 2005, the water in Harbin's Songhua River was polluted by an industrial accident and the city stopped obtaining drinking water from that source. Harbin's winter tourism was consequently affected by the scare over the (non)availability of safe drinking water.
Almost half a century ago, this monument was built to celebrate the embankment's success in holding back the flood waters, saving many lives.

This place is a must see on anyone's nightlife list for Harbin. It is essentially a Russian style disco with chinese DJ's. the DJ's really know how to get the crowd jumping and what I love most of all, they have two poles on a stage for drunken revellers. The bar has two floors and the mezzanine level is great for checking out the dancers below. The local beer is cheap and I suggest buying a jug between one or two of you rather than a single beer each. A Heinekin was 40Y for a bottle. You can buy snacks like popcorn and this is really popular with Chinese people. The place gets pretty full on the weekends and usually expats visiting from elsewhere in China end up here on their night out. There is no cover charge and you can leave your jacket for free. The funniest thing about going here in winter is that in the coat room everyone is stripping off their long johns and boots and putting on their dancing gear. Periodically some Russian dancers will put on a bit of a show and this is a real eye opener. Discos in Harbin tend to be a little like a high school disco and some will even stop towards the end of the night for a game or two on the dancefloor.

If you visit Harbin in winter with kids then at some stage you will want them to have a good run around. If you have trouble finding somewhere every Carrefour (supermarket) has a little play area where the kids can jump on trampolines, go on slides, in ball pits etc. The cost is about 10Y for one child. It is possible to leave the kids there while you do your shopping as long as you have a mobile contact number but make sure the kids go to the toilet first as the ladies running the place can't speak english. Usually they have art and craft activities here as well. Take some water as the kids usually get pretty hot and thirsty.

Just randomly got the business card for this place and went to check it out. Very slick but also good chill out lounges. The card really intrigued me, it says 'come to be better'. The dance floor was small but the DJ was great and it is easy enough to get into the groove. The drinks were standard chinese disco price but we had the long island tea special for 20Y. It didn't taste that strong but after 4 or 5 I was the dance master. A great mix of expats and locals here.

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Harbin is Chinas northern city. Four Saesons. Very cold to mild summers. Long growing seasons for the corn and wheat fields. Harbin area has a lot to offer. I took trains and Planes!! Taxies also helped. I made friend with taxie drivers at every place I went in China. Just pay their salary they need and the rent they pay to the taxie company. Throw a little extra for the wife and Kids and you have a great safe tour guide. It worked for me. I had a couple of taxie guys. I let their wife and kids come on Long had Lunch and dinner and it all went real smooth!!

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You need a open mind going around China. Lots of old stuff. This is the real people. They like it there. Harbin has old and new areas. I stayed around the Shangrila Hotel and the Large river area. I went up to QuiQiar and down Shenyang. People up north are like people in Alaska!!

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I took the train almost everywhere. I went from Harbin to Qigihar the most northern city. Looks like Alaska and the Alaska people. Also went from HArbin down to Shenyang and to Tanjin to Bejing by train. Played poker with a couple of men and ate weard food. Drank lots of beer again. What else can you do for 8 to 9 hours on a train. Look at goats next to me.
Wow! What an adventure!!