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from Wikipedia Harbin:
Harbin (simplified Chinese: 哈尔滨; traditional Chinese: 哈爾濱; pinyin: Hāěrbīn; Wade-Giles: Ha-erh-pin; Russian Харби́н Kharbin) is a sub-provincial city and the capital of the Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China. It lies on the southern bank of the Songhua River. Harbin is ranked as the tenth largest city in China, serving as a key political, economic, scientific, cultural and communications center of Northeastern China.
Harbin is originally a Manchu word meaning "a place for drying fishing nets." Harbin bears the nicknames 'The Pearl on the swan's neck' because the shape of Heilongjiang resembles a swan, and 'Oriental Moscow' or 'Oriental Paris' for the architecture in the city. Harbin is also known as 'Ice City' for its long and cold winter. |
