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Harbin: Next Stop, Ice City!


	Photo: mke1963

The northern city of Harbin grew as a railway town when the Russians linked their western outpost, Vladivostok, to the city of Dalian in China. More than 100 years later, this industrial city in northeast China is known for its beauty. Visitors can walk the cobblestone streets and enjoy the elegant spires and cupolas of Orthodox churches and other buildings constructed by the many Russians who settled in Harbin after fleeing the civil war of 1918. Just outside the city, magnificent Manchurian tigers are on view at the nearby Siberian Tiger Park conservation and breeding center.

Visitors and locals alike cheerfully brave Harbin’s long and cold winters to see the world-famous Ice Lantern Festival. Teams from all over the globe come to recreate architectural wonders or themes from history and fairy tales—all in ice and many several stories tall. At night, the sculptures are illuminated with (some say beautiful, others say gaudy) colored lights.

Harbin will also be the host city of the 2009 Winter Universiade, where university teams from around the globe come to compete in winter sports.