1. Brief Introduction
As the provincial capital of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin is the political, economic and cultural center of the north of Northeast China, as well as a metropolis whose area is the largest and whose population is the second largest among all the provincial cities of China. The whole city covers an area of 53,100 km2, of which, the urban area is 7,086 km2, and the established area is 331.21 km2, with 9 districts, 7 counties and 2 city-level counties under its administration. By the end of 2014, the total population with household register was 9.94 million, covering 48 nationalities, and the population of ethnic minorities was 660,000.
Located in the center of Northeast Asia, Harbin is called the bright pearl on the Bridge of Eurasia Land, and it is also an important hub of Eurasia Land Bridge and air corridor. All the rivers within the area of Harbin belong to Songhua river system and Mudan river system, and the rainfall mainly concentrates between June and September, with the average annual precipitation of 569.1mm. Named “Ice City”, Harbin has medium-temperate continental monsoon climate, with long winter and short summer. 63 kinds of minerals have been found, and the reserves of 25 kinds of minerals have been verified within the whole city, including 1 energy mineral, 10 metal minerals, and 14 non-metal minerals. There are totally 12 natural reserves in the city, including 4 natural reserves at the provincial level, covering an area of 119400 hectares. 50 kinds of wild animals are listed as first and second class protection species, and 7 kinds of plants are listed as first and second class protection species.
2. Economic Development
Harbin is the economic development center of Heilongjiang Province, as well as a comprehensive city with industry as the main body and the three industries developing in an all-round way.
Since the reform and opening, Harbin has redoubled its efforts toward structural adjustment, and the high-tech industries such as medicine, automobile, food, electronic information has developed rapidly, forming a new industrial structure. The reform and opening has facilitated the rapid development of the tertiary industry in Harbin, and the status and function of the tertiary industry in the national economy is becoming increasingly conspicuous. Efforts will be made to insist on promoting agriculture by applying scientific and technological achievements, popularize advanced and practical technologies, carry out the project of good kinds, and set up a modern agricultural sci-tech district and science and technology experiment base. 14 industrial chains have been set up for green food bases, accelerate the course of agricultural industrialization, and promote the whole development of agricultural economy.
3. Scientific Technology and Education
Scientific Technology
Harbin has strong comprehensive power in scientific technology, ranking the leading place in the large and middle cities all over the country. At present, the research and development system with the scientific and technological power of universities, institutions and large factories as the main body, supplemented by the local scientific and technological power, has been formed, providing strong intelligent support for the coordinated development of the economy and society of the whole city. Harbin boasts 28 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, including 1 academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and 27 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. The technological innovation system with enterprises as the main body has been basically formed up to now.
The technological level of Harbin Welding Institute, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, the 49th Research Institute, Institute of Engineering Mechanics, 703 Research Institute and the other Research Institutes ranks the leading place of the whole country. These Research Institutes have strong research and development ability, contributing a lot to the success of many major scientific and technological projects such as “Shenzhou” series of spacecrafts. In addition, 21 important laboratories in the fields of airplane engines, bearings, admeasuring apparatuses, air-conditioners, motors, turbines, environmental protection and oxygen generation, and pharmaceuticals have reached the leading level of China.
Education Service
Harbin city is one of the centers of colleges, universities and research institutes. At present, there are 50 universities and colleges, 13 adult institutions of higher learning, 8 scientific research institutions qualified of postgraduates training, 139 secondary vocational education schools, 122 ordinary high schools, 419 ordinary junior high schools, 1246 ordinary primary schools, 18 special education schools, 1 reformatory school and 1,284 kindergartens. The city's ratio of entering junior high school from primary school reaches 99.29% and the gross enrollment of entering senior high school reaches 89.48%.
The universities such as Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin Medical University enjoy great reputation at home and abroad, and have cultivated a large number of excellent scientific and technological and medical talents, contributing to the national defense, aerospace industry and medicine.
4. Transportation
The five railways of Harbin include Harda, Binsui, Binzhou, Binbei and Labin, which connects the other railways within the country. The water transportation of Harin covers the Songhua River, the Heilongjiang River, the Wusuli River and the Nen River, and connects with some Russian Far East ports. Through the river and sea combined water transportation, the ships can reach Tartar Channel eastward and directly arrive in such areas as Japan, North Korea, South Korea and Southeast Asia.
The volume of passengers entering and exiting Harbin Taiping International Airport reaches 4,437,000 person-times every year. 23 domestic and oversea airlines have commenced operation in Harbin Airport, and opened 82 domestic and international lines, reaching 47 cities. The air transportation network, with Harbin as the center, radiating important cities of China and connecting the surrounding countries such as Russia, Japan and Korea, and European and major American countries, has been initially formed. Harbin Taiping International Airport has become a significant air harbor of Southeast Asia.
5. Climate
The climate of Harbin is characterized by distinct four seasons, with long and cold winter, short and hot summer. With the temperature going up and down quickly, spring and autumn belong to transition seasons, with a short period. Under the influence of geography, marine and continental air mass and monsoon, the climate differences of Harbin in different seasons are conspicuous, with significant changes. In winter, under the control of continental polar air, it is cold and dry; in summer, under the influence of subtropical marine air, it has rich rainfall and warm temperature; in spring, under the influence of winter and summer monsoon, the climate is mutable, windy and dry, with small rainfall; in autumn, the temperature goes down significantly, often with frost damage.
The annual mean temperature is 4.25 °C (39.6 °F), and extreme temperatures have ranged from −42.6 °C (−45 °F) to 39.2 °C (103 °F). The average maximum temperature in Harbin is 5.9 °C (in Binxian County in 1990), while the average minimum temperature is 0.7 °C. The annual extreme high rainfall is 1081.3mm, while the annual extreme low rainfall is 247 mm.
6. Tourism
The special historical course and geographical position has contributed to Harbin, the beautiful city with an exotic tone, which not only brings together the historical culture of northern ethnic minorities, but also combines western and eastern culture. It is a famous historical and tourist city in China, with many beautiful names such as “the City of Culture”, “the City of Music”, “Ice City”, “A Pearl under the Neck of the Swan”, “Eastern Moscow”, and “Eastern Little Paris”. It is known for its bitterly cold winters and is often called the "Ice City." Harbin is notable for its beautiful ice sculptures in winter and its Russian legacy, and still plays an important part in Sino-Russian trade today. In the 1920s, the city was considered China's fashion capital as new designs from Paris and Moscow reached there first before arriving in Shanghai. In 2010 it was declared a UNESCO "City of Music".
Population: 9.94 million
Temperature: average 4.25 °C (39.6 °F)
