Sunday dawned bright and early, with beautiful blue skies as we bid Beijing farewell. In our few short days, the neighborhood had begun to feel familiar - we knew where to find water, coffee, croissants, and beer, as well as how to get to the subway. As someone with no Mandarin, I was surprised at how quickly I felt able to navigate our small corner of Beijing. But we had no time to become complacent, it was off to new adventures!
At 6:30 we dragged our suitcases down the block to get on our bus. After 3 days, we were experts at getting 20 people on a bus in no time. Even with the extra luggage, we made quick work of the loading. At the airport, which was easily navigated, I had the gentlest AND most thorough pat- down I've ever had!
Our China Southern flight was uneventful, with the exception of some interesting breakfast options. Once in Harbin, we were met by Yanqui and Eduardo from CET, and our Harbin adventure began!
It's an interesting contrast - yesterday we did the attraction best known in China, the Great Wall. Today we found ourselves in a city of 10 million that almost no Americans know. Harbin lies in the Heilongjiang Province, the northern-most province in China. Almost 1000 km north lies Mohe, the northern-most city in China. Just over 600km to the south lies North Korea. And for those of you who want to take the long way to Harbin, the Trans-Siberian railway makes it's way from Moscow to Harbin in 6 days. Despite being most know for it's annual International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in January, we were greeted by beautiful weather and lots of lilacs, the official flower of the city.
All that to say, this is a very different place than Beijing. After an elevator ride that went a little awry, on our way out of the hotel the women of the group were given a durian pastry as a treat for "Ladies' month." After a spicy and delicious lunch (complete with carnations for the mothers in the group, as it was also Mother's Day here in China), we headed to the Jewish History Museum.
Housed in the New Synagogue, the museum commeorates the Jewish community that was present in Harbin from 1899 until the last member died in 1985. The synagogue was founded in 1918 and was originally the largest synagogue in the Far East. In 2004 the building was renovated and the museum was created to acknowledge and preserve the fairly extensive role that approximately 20,000 Jews played in Harbin's history. There is an impressive display of photos, and it was particularly interesting to note the museum's emphasis on how well the Jews were accepted in Harbin and the lack of any anti-Semitism. That seems a bit too good to be true, but there is certainly a real and important shared history here.
After the museum tour, we were taken to the beginning of the pedestrian area that is Central Street, where you can wander amid lots of European-like buildings that house Russian and Chinese shops. Ultimately the street ends up at Stalin Park by the river. Many of us took a boat ride across the Songhua river and back, giving us a lovely view and better sense of the size of Harbin.
The rest of the evening was a typical jumble - delicious smells from a food market, a Walmart sighting, shops to buy Russian nesting dolls and fur hats, the "Modern" popsicle from the Modern Hotel, dancing in the plaza in front of Saint Sophia (the former Russian Orthodox Church), and hailing taxis back to the hotel. It felt like the day came full circle when Anastasia translated the menu at Orient King Dumplings for a visiting group of Israelis!
Ultimately if there is one thing I have come to expect from China, it is that I have no idea what will happen next!
