Harbin, 2018 There was a fancy restaurant that I went to one of the nights in Harbin and had some nice food and beer (the rest of the nights I went to cheap local places to stretch the dollar/RMB). This place was called the Madieer Restaurant and Brewery. They had a small stage with a... Continue Reading →
Harbin, 2018 I heard a lot about this ice festival for many years and I decided to go there in my last year in China in 2018. This is an annual ice festival that lasts from December to February and has different theme every time. It was mind blowing and so was the temperature. It... Continue Reading →
Harbin, 2018 One day I found this old man making some beautiful music on a street in Harbin on a erhu, a Chinese violin instrument. This street was near the Saint Sophia Cathedral, a huge tourist attraction in the city. He had a sort of a pad to kneel on and was in a car... Continue Reading →
Harbin, 2018 At its peak, Harbin was an international metropolis with people from 53 nationalities speaking 45 languages living here. These photos from the Harbin Architectural Art Gallery at the Saint Sophia Cathedral show more than old Harbin architecture. It shows people and their livelihoods in a rapidly developing Harbin of the 1900s. City and... Continue Reading →
It was about -30 degrees Celsius when I was in a holiday trip to Harbin in Feb 2018. One early morning, I saw this street stall selling hot food which must have been a welcome sight for many passers by. It was selling a variety of pre-cooked dishes such as vegetables, tofu and meat which... Continue Reading →
Harbin, 2018 Normally, I like to visit at least one Buddhist temple whenever I am travelling. When in Harbin, I visited the Temple of Bliss Buddhist temple built in 1921. I lit up the joss sticks and offered my prayers in the four directions before leaving them in the urns facing the main sanctum. Then... Continue Reading →
Harbin. 2018 The Saint Sophia Cathedral is an Orthodox church in Harbin built by the Russians in 1907. The Chinese government declared it a national cultural heritage site in 1996. Today it serves as the Harbin Architectural Art Gallery showcasing Harbin's multi-cultural architectural developments. I visited the church in 2018 while there for the ice... Continue Reading →
Harbin, 2018 Harbin is a -40 degrees Celsius place that hosts the annual International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. It's a city with a colourful past, both told and untold. I spent a few days there during the Chinese New Year holidays.