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Harbin is the capital of Heilongjiang Province, with a population of
5.3 million and covering an area of 18,000 square kilometers.
Located in eastern Songnen plain, it's a rolling land with low hills,
and shallow valleys and crossed by the Songhua River. It has a semi-humid
temperate climate with an annual average temperature of 3.5 degree Celsius,
rainfall of 530 millimeters and a frost-free period of 140 days. Its mineral
resources are coal, quartzite, marble, copper, lead and zinc etc.
Harbin is one of China's key industrial bases, with machine building industry
as its main stay. Foodstuff, petroleum, chemicals and textiles are its
important prop-ups. The output value of its pharmaceutical industry ranks
first in China. The main agricultural products are wheat, soybean, beet,
flax, tobacco, poultry, etc. It's among China's major beet growing areas.
Harbin is the commercial center of Heilongjiang Province as well as the
communication hub in the northern part of North-East China, with a well-developed
railway and highway network. It has regular air links with over 30 cities
at home and abroad. The Songhua River is an important waterway for shipping.
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As one of the largest cities in northeast China, Harbin enjoys an ideal geographic location convenient for all means of transportation to and from the city. What's more, Harbin is also one of China's gateways into vast Siberia, Russia and northeast Asia.
Besides convenient air connections with the majority of China's important cities, Harbin has regular flights to cities in Russia, South Korea, and Japan.There are shuttle buses to and from the airport available every twenty minutes at the CAAC office on 224 Zhongshan Lu.
Harbin is the second largest Railway hub in northeast China after Shenyang. Numerous trains depart and arrive at Harbin everyday. From Harbin, direct trains runs to Dalian, Shanghai, Beijing, Wuhan, Changchun, Tianjin and Shenyang. There are also express trains to other provincial destinations in Heilongjiang such as Jiamusi, Qiqihar, Suihuan and Mudanjiang.There are two major train stations in Harbin; Harbin Main Station and East Harbin Station. Most of the inter-provincial trains use Harbin Station in the northeast of the city on Tielu Jie.You should be able to get to the station in a taxi from most places in the city. The main train ticketing center is in the train station (Train information tel: 6420115). Harbin has a telephone reservation center(Tel:3602828),that you can call to book train tickets.????Into Siberia and Russia: From northern Heilongjiang there are crossing points into Siberia. From Harbin take train Y215 to Heihe (leaves 6.30 pm/12 hours). From here, you can get into Russia (with all the right paperwork).Train Y216 leaves Heihe and heads back to Harbin at 9pm daily. You can also take the train from Harbin to Suifenhe (departs 9.15 pm ) from where a ten hour bus journey will take you on to Vladivostok. Be warned that all these routes are difficult, in almost all aspects. Visas for Siberia and Russia should be arranged in Beijing, although some travelers report that they have managed to get them in Shenyang. To get the Visa, all accommodation in Russia must be prearranged so the whole thing can work out to be pretty costly.The most straightforward way to get into Russia is on the Trans-Siberian express to Moscow. A trip on this train is a real experience (see Paul Theroux's novel, Riding the Iron Rooster). The train stops in Harbin every Friday morning.
Because of the remote location of Harbin,, it is not easy to travel to and from central China to Harbin by bus. However, regular buses link the city with other provincial capitals such as Changchun and Shenyang. There is also access by bus from here to Mudanjiang,Jiamusi, Daqing and Hegang.
Harbin boasts an established public transportation system. There are over one hundred public bus routes connecting all important spots across the city. The best way to travel by bus is to pick up a local map with all the updated bus routes and schedules as soon as you get to the city. The easiest way to get around is by taxi, there are thousands of taxis on the streets of Harbin,and it should not cost more than RMB20 to reach most destinations across the city.
