When planning a vacation in Harbin, don’t even expect to see traditional Chinese pagodas or the emperor’s palaces. You will not find even numerous Buddhist temples that are so typical for other Chinese cities. You will visit the capital of Heilongjiang, the northernmost province of China. The Great Wall separates this region from the real Chinese life. At some time in the past, Harbin was under Russian influence. That is why it is possible to see many buildings and architectural landmarks typical for Siberia. This is particularly true about the old part of the city. Currently, Harbin is the largest city in Northeast China. If we compare Harbin to other cities in China, we will notice that its history is not so rich because this is a relatively young city. Harbin was a small village until the time when the Russian Empire decided to build the Trans-Siberian Railroad. At that time, mostly fishermen and their families lived in the settlement. At the end of the 19th century, when the Qing dynasty was the ruler of China, Russia got permission to build a railroad in this part of the country. The road was to cross the territory of North Manchuria. This fact helped Harbin to become a large transportation hub. Closer to the end of the construction works, many Russian people settled in the area. When tensions started in the Russian Empire, Russian Jews started actively moving to Chinese territory. After the revolution, many Russians chose to move to Harbin and settle
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