Harbin Jewish Tour

Today you will arrive in Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China, and start your Jewish tour. In the following days, our tour guide will accompany you to explore the charm of Harbin, a city with a total area of 53,100 square kilometers and a built-up area of 493.77 square kilometers. As of November 1, 2020, the permanent population of Harbin is about 10 million. Harbin is a city with higher latitude and lower temperatures in China. Its winter is long and cold, while the summer is short and cool. When you come here, you can taste the special food here, such as Harbin sausage (a kind of smoked pork sausage). As soon as you arrive at the airport, our local tour guide will be waiting for you, holding your name sign. And then the tour guide will transfer you to the hotel. Our tour guides, who will provide better services for you, are all trained well. If you have any questions, you can ask our tour guide for help at any time.

To make your Harbin Jewish Tour richer and closer to Jewish history, you will visit Jewish Community after breakfast. Jewish Community in Harbin was formed as early as 1903. The community has a variety of charitable institutions and living facilities such as churches, schools, shops, banks, hospitals, and nursing homes. And it is responsible for organizing and serving all Jewish people in Harbin. It is the largest and most complete Jewish community in China. The most important buildings of the Jewish Community are two majestic and luxurious churches, the old Jewish Synagogue built in 1907 and the new Jewish Synagogue built in 1918. When visiting these two churches, you will feel the culture and history of the Jews in Harbin.

In the afternoon, you will visit Harbin Jewish Cemetery. It is the largest and best-preserved Jewish cemetery in the east Asia, and more than 600 Jews were buried here. The cemetery covers an area of 836 square meters. Since the end of the 19th century, a large number of Jews came to Harbin from Europe to escape persecution and discrimination. Harbin once became the largest Jewish gathering center in the Asia. In the 1920s, the number of Jews reached more than 20,000. In the 1950s, for better management, Harbin Jewish Cemetery was moved from the urban area to its current location, Huangshan Mountain, which is located in the eastern suburbs of Harbin City. Therefore, it is also called Huangshan Jewish Cemetery. Ehud Olmert, the former Prime Minister of Israel, visited this cemetery in 2004. His grandfather came to Harbin in 1917 and was buried here after death. The foundation of this cemetery and the number of Jews in Harbin demonstrate not only the Chinese people’s friendliness to the Jews, but also the mutual support of the people of the two countries. 

Jewish Community

Harbin Jewish Cemetery

After a hearty breakfast, you will go to Siberian Tiger Park in the North Bank of Songhua River, Songbei District. Siberian Tiger Park covers an area of 1.44 million square meters and is adjacent to the Sun Island Scenic Resort. It is a park built to save and protect the world’s endangered species of the Siberian tiger. There are more than 700 pure-bred Siberian tigers here. Since its opening to the public in 1996, this park has attracted tourists from home and abroad with its great charm. It receives more than 250,000 tourists every year. The Siberian Tiger Forest Park now includes an Adult Tiger Park, a Young Tiger Park, and a popular science exhibition hall. Among them, Adult Tiger Garden covers an area of 360,000 square meters, with 30 wild tigers scattered around. Visitors must take special coaches to roam in this park. It would be a special experience for you.

After lunch, you will visit Sun Island Scenic Resort. The total area of Sun Island Scenic Resort is 88 square kilometers, of which the planned area is 38 square kilometers and the outer protection area is 50 square kilometers. Sun Island is a multifunctional scenic area composed of ice & snow culture and folk culture, and it is also an ecological area along the Songhua river. There is Squirrel Island here. As the name suggests, Squirrel Island is home to nearly 2,000 domesticated squirrels. In June 2006, more than 600 squirrels were introduced from Liaoning Province, which further increased the number of squirrels on the island. Thus it is the largest squirrel viewing and domesticating base in Heilongjiang Province. Covering an area of about 24,000 square meters, it is located in the northern part of the Sun Island Scenic Resort. And there are lush trees on the island, and wooden squirrel nests are built on some trees, where squirrels can inhabit.

Siberian Tiger Park

Siberian Tiger Park

Today is the last day of your Jewish tour in Harbin. You will visit three tourist attractions today. After breakfast, you will go to St. Sophia Cathedral in Sophia square, Daoli District. St. Sophia Cathedral, which is magnificent and elegant, was designed by Koyasikov, a Russian architect. It has a height of 53.25 meters, with a construction area of 721 square meters, and can accommodate 2,000 people. Its interior is now open to the public as the Harbin Architectural Art Gallery. As a landmark building in Harbin, St. Sophia Cathedral is a Byzantine-style Orthodox church built in 1907. And in 1923, St. Sophia Cathedral was rebuilt for the second time, which took 9 years and was completed in 1932. It became the largest Orthodox church in east Asia.

After leaving St. Sophia Cathedral, you will go to Central Street, which was built in 1900. Central Street is a prosperous commercial pedestrian street in Harbin City. It starts from the Harbin Flood Control Memorial Tower on the bank of the river in the north and connects to Xinyang Square in the south, with a length of 1400 meters. Central Street is the epitome of Harbin. Covering a total area of about 1 square kilometer, the most distinctive feature of it is that the entire street is paved with ashlars (a kind of finely processed masonry). And there are 71 European-style and imitated European-style buildings on the whole street. What’s more, when you come here, you can taste delicious food in Chinese as well as western restaurants. For example, Tatoc Restaurant is a time-honored restaurant where you can eat Russian-style food.

After lunch, you will go sightseeing in Harbin Flood Control Memorial Tower in Stalin Street. Harbin Flood Control Memorial Tower was built on October 1, 1958 to commemorate the victory of the people in Harbin over a catastrophic flood in 1957. It was co-designed by Soviet designer Bagis Zierev and the architect Lee Kuan Yew. When you visit the tower, you can see also the base tower, the fountain, the corridor, and the square. The base tower is square, narrow at the top, and wide at the bottom. It is made of dark green granite and is very strong and durable. What’s more, it is inlaid with 24 life-size bronze figures carved in relief. With a height of 22.5 meters, the tower is oval and is composed of 20 pieces of granite. On the top of the tower are sculptures of 3.5-meter-high full-body statues of workers, peasants, soldiers, and intellectuals. Through visiting this flood control memorial tower, you can feel the heroism of people in the fight against flood.

Today your last stop is Jiuzhan Park with a length of 2,383 meters. Covering an area of 25.14 hectares, it is across the river from the famous Sun Island Scenic Resort and is strip-shaped open riverside park next to Stalin Park. The grass beds and flower beds in the park are unique. Jiuzhan Park is a paradise for the elderly and children to rest and play. It is also the best place for urban people to do morning exercises. In the center of this park stands the famous Laotou Bay. There is a golden beach in Laotou Bay, which is a comfortable sunbathing area. More and more elderly people like this place. They do morning exercises in the morning, walk and chat here at night. And they also swim and fish here in summer and run here in winter. The old people affectionately call this bay “the home of the elderly” and “the paradise of the elderly”. You can come here to experience the fun of elderly people.

St. Sophia Cathedral

Central Street

Today your 5-day Jewish tour in Harbin will come to an end. So it’s time to say goodbye. After a hearty breakfast, you can return to your room to pack your luggage. And then according to your flight timetable, you will be transferred to the airport. Our tour guide will help you check in and board the plane. Welcome you to China again.

Editor: Deng Kaili

Proofreader: Summer Hou