Harbin is an important junction on the Russian Manchurian railway and to the present filled with remnants of the Russians' stay. Until the late 1890's, it was little more than a small and isolated fishing village on the banks of the Sungari river but with the railway, it became populated by Russian engineers and merchants. Huge numbers of Chinese were encouraged to move up here to look for work and by 1917 compounded by an influx of White Russians who fled here to escape the revolution, the town boasted a population of some 200,000. As an aside, during and before that period of  Dostoevski[also spelt Dostoyevsky] most Russians (the masses) were slaves, white slaves. The educated were educated in French and spoke French. Among Dostoevski's many works are the well known novels "Crime and Punishment", "The Brothers Karamazov." Dostoyevsky is my input but please feel free to check the facts with the scholars at the university.

The Russians were brutally treated by the Japanese when they took back the city in the early part of this century. But in spite of that it's their influence which is most pervasive- manifest in their large mansions and wide avenues (built by those homesick for St. Petersburg where Dostoevski attended Military Engineering College from 1838-1843). In Harbin, one might find some of the country's greenest and best-kept parks and gardens so during the summer or the warmer months, it's well worth the journey to visit a town which looks like the last threadbare outpost of Imperial Russia. You can hire rowing boats (around Stalin Park along the Songhua River which is at the opposite end of the area already described - Nat. History Museum etc.) Between these two areas one might find an Art Gallery and an Orthodox Cathedral which might be closed. If it is open, please do visit should the interior remain intact. Be warned, the currents are quite powerful but during the winter, the river freezes solid and that sounds so much like Ottawa. There is a ferry to Sun Island, a newly built holiday area, part of the tourist infrastructure so the beaches etc. are quite crowded every year. However, the best thing about going to Sun Island is the view you get over Harbin's industrial skyline from the river. During the Chinese New Year, there is the Ice Lantern Show which is an impressive display of ice sculpture held in Zhaolun Park.
In this area, there is also a Flood Monument and I do hope that this is not the part of China that has experienced dreadful flooding most recently.