The city of Harbin has an extremely low cost of living (especially when compared to Beijing, Shanghai, or southern China) so it is very easy to save a lot of your salary for traveling, sending home, or building savings. It is easy to live well on half your salary or less, leaving the rest for travel, fun, or savings.

 

Harbin is the capital city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China; it is the heart of historic Manchuria, birthplace of both the Manchu culture and the Mandarin language. The most standard form of Mandarin is spoken in Harbin, so it’s the perfect place to study Chinese and to benefit from our free Chinese lessons.

 

Harbin is a vibrant modern city, mixing traditional Chinese and Russian heritage with contemporary western influences. The 10th most populated city in China, Harbin is situated on the south bank of the Songhua River. In summer the city comes alive with outdoor activities: the center of the city features classic Russian architecture and is lined with outdoor restaurants and German-style beer gardens and it’s a short boat ride to the northern bank of the river where you can visit extensive parkland and the Siberian Tiger Reserve.

 

In the winter Harbin boasts the world famous Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, with colossal ice sculptures throughout the city, skating, ice slides, and sledding. Harbin is just a short train ride from China’s premier ski resort Yabuli. A day trip including a return train ticket, equipment rental, and a half-day skiing or snowboarding pass can cost less than 200RMB ($30USD).