Life in Harbin

[ironbadger]

Hello all,

My girlfriend and I are leaving Kunming and moving to teach English in a new city. I've always been intrigued by Harbin; remote, freezing, a bit Russian etc. and was wondering if anyone has lived there through the winter?

I'm not really worried about the temperature, but what is there to do from now until March? Sports? Groups? Day trips? Or do you just sit at home watching DVDs and drinking beer?

Would we be better off moving somewhere like Hangzhou or Nanjing?

Any advice much appreciated!!

[kdavid]

I've endured three winters here, and looking forward to my fourth.

It's really not that bad. Everyone has central heating. The trick is to wear layers (long underwear, undershirts), have good shoes for walking on ice, find a nice down jacket, etc.

The first two winters I spent here were light on the snow. This last winter (of 2008 - 09) had a lot of precipitation, but rumor has it that it was all seeded.

Harbin hosted the Universidade winter games (preliminary for winter Olympics?) and wanted to keep the city looking clean. This is difficult to do when snow mixes with all of the coal dust in the air. As such, the government (supposedly) kept it snowing for two weeks straight so that there was always a clean coat of snow on the ground.

Aside from that, there aren't a lot of outdoor activities during the winter. It can get as low as -40, but generally averages in the -20s. It's the windchill that will cut through you.

Most people stay indoors, go to clubs, the usual. It's really not as bad as most would imagine.

[roddy]

I'd go as far as to say that if you have the right attitude it's quite an adventure. You DO need to be stocked up on layers and layers of clothes, but once you're wrapped up appropriately you're all set for long walks on the frozen river, up and down Zhongyang Dajie, whatever you want to do.

[ironbadger]

Cheers for the advice guys!

I'm slowly trying to build up the confidence to commit to a move up north. Is the city itself quite nice? people friendly? Is there stuff to see in Heilongjiang?

Thanks again for chipping in.

[Meng Lelan]

I sometimes go to Harbin to see some friends there. Overall a friendly city, not overwhelmingly big and impersonal like Beijing. A good amount of Russian (and Jewish) culture and life in Harbin makes things interesting. In fact think the grandfather of an Israeli president came from Harbin.