My hometown--Harbin(China)--Introduction

（Translated by freelance Chinese translator li – English to Chinese translation or Chinese to English translation services- your agent in Harbin）

Before you visit a city, it is always useful to know something about it.

Harbin (simplified Chinese: 哈尔滨; traditional Chinese: 哈爾濱; pinyin: Hāěrbīn; Wade-Giles: Ha-erh-pin) is a sub-provincial city and the capital of the Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China（中国东北）. It lies on the southern bank of the Songhua River（松花江）. Harbin is ranked as the tenth largest city in China（中国第十大城市）, serving as a key political, economic（经济）, scientific（科技）, cultural and communications center（通讯中心） of Northeastern China.Harbin is originally a Manchu（满族） word meaning 'a place for drying fishing nets'. Harbin bears the nicknames 'The Pearl on the swan's neck' (天鹅项下的珍珠) because the shape of Heilongjiang resembles a swan, and 'Oriental Moscow'（东方莫斯科） or 'Oriental Paris'（东方小巴黎） for the architecture in the city. Harbin is also known as 'Ice City'（冰城） for its long and cold winter.

Harbin was the birthplace(诞生地) of Jin (1115-1234) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties（金朝和清朝）, the latter of which had a very considerable influence on modern Chinese history. At the end of the 19th century, Russia built the terminus（终点站）of the Middle East Railway（中东铁路） here. Later, more than 160,000 foreigners from 33 countries migrated to Harbin, promoting the development of a capitalist economy（资本主义经济） in the city. The economy and culture of Harbin achieved unprecedented prosperity at that time and the city gradually grew into a famous international commercial port（商埠）. Assimilating（吸收、融会） external culture, Harbin created its unique and exotic cityscape（都市风景）. The majestic St. Sofia Orthodox Church（圣索非亚东正教堂） and Zhongyang Dajie（中央大街） each built in a European style have the effect of bringing you into an 'eastern Moscow'. Even though you are sure to be attracted by various exotic buildings, the Dragon Tower（龙塔） which embodies the wisdom of the Chinese people is a must on your journey.