TESOL Course Articles
Harbin Information

Harbin is the capital city of Heilongjiang province, China`s most North-easterly province. The province has a population of 39 million and Harbin's population is officially 10 million with about 4 million living in the city proper, making Harbin one of China`s 10 largest cities. As the Province's largest city and capital, Harbin`s economy is largely white collar, servicing the primarily agricultural and heavy industry bases of the rest of the province.

Harbin is a more traditional city than the major cities of southern China since it has not been westernized as much. However, Harbin is a more developed city than most westerners expect of China. Anything that you would expect to find in stores, in the West, can usually be found here. In general the only exceptions are some particular spices or certain brand names.

Harbin has most forms of entertainment and sporting locations. However western activities such as squash, swimming, or bowling are expensive by local standards. Most Chinese parties or celebrations are held in restaurants, which often have private rooms with karaoke. Some western-style bars/clubs are available but they also tend to come with western prices. There is no shortage of movies to watch. All of the latest movies are available by buying or renting DVDs. They are very inexpensive.

As a northern city, Harbin has similar weather to the Canadian Prairies or American Midwest. The summer is usually 20 to 35 C (68 to 95 F) and the winter -10 to -30 C (+14 to -22 F). During the winter, Harbin has an ice festival, which is the city`s most well-known tourist attraction.

Westerners are not common in Harbin. There are usually about 300-400 westerners here with about half being students. There are also usually several hundred Russians in town on shopping trips. Therefore, non-Chinese tend to stand out in a crowd. If you are shy to be noticed, Harbin is not the place for you.

Cost of Living
The average income in Harbin is about 1,000 RMB and the cost of living is lower than other cities. Therefore most people earning over 1,000 consider it to be a good income. For food and basic shopping, a person can live comfortably on 1,000. However, most foreigners spend more than that because they tend to buy more imported goods and eat more frequently in restaurants including McDonalds, Pizza Hut and KFC. Therefore, if you want to save money for travel or to send back home, you should be able to save a good portion of your salary, depending on how native you want to live.

A sample of costs, in RMB: average restaurant meal 10-20/person, bottle of beer 2 in shops or restaurants 20 in bars, bus fare 1-2, taxi 9 first 3 km (10 or less to most places), sleeper train to Beijing 300-450 one-way (8 to 12 hours depending on train). Clothes are much cheaper than in the west and there are great tailors too.

What to Bring

If you are coming to Harbin to live, below is a list of things that are hard to find here. Like most of China, Harbin is quickly developing its stock of Western products and services. Therefore, some of the things on the list may have recently become more available. You can see that the list is mostly minor things.

• Anti-perspirant (limited brands)
• Good shoes (large sizes are rare, prices are similar to home, quality often low)
• Essential prescription medications
• Good quality socks
• English books or novels
• Mandarin phrase book (dictionaries available but travel phrase books are rare)
• A laptop if you have one. You`ll find it useful and they are expensive here.

What Not to Bring

• A lot of books: bring only a few, they are heavy. Though you won`t have much free time in your training month, we have a small library of books and novels.
• Full desk-top computer: too bulky. If you are planning on staying for a while, you could leave your monitor and case at home and only pack the internal cards. A new case and used monitor will have you up and running here at little cost. You can also buy a full system here for about the same price as in the West.
• Tons of clothes: Most teachers buy so many clothes here, due to low prices, that they end up leaving nearly everything they brought with them, when they go home.
• 110 Volt Electronic equipment: the power is 220 and power converters usually don`t last. As a result, you will burn out your equipment. Besides, electronics are usually cheap here. If you have an MP3 player or other equipment that uses an adapter, you can buy a new adapter here that will convert directly from the 220 to your appliance requirements. Note: Laptops, cameras and video cameras, etc. usually accept both 110 and 220. (See the power cord of the device to make sure.)
• Apartment supplies: kitchen supplies etc. are provided during your training month and are available cheaply.
• Things that would be illegal: drugs, pornography, etc.
• Things for distribution: bringing religious or political material, that the government might disagree with, should not be a problem as long as you are not bringing quantities to distribute.
• Meats, vegetables etc. that would break quarantine laws.
• Pets: the time, money, and paperwork required to bring an animal into China are extensive.

Money and Banking
Do not plan on using your bank card or credit cards in Harbin. Although a few of the large hotels accept credit cards, most places do not. However, the credit cards may come in handy if you visit southern cities. There is one bank where you may be able to make withdrawals using your bank card but deposits are not permitted.

You should arrange to have internet access to your accounts so that if you need access you can access them that way. Western Union is also available to send or receive cash.

You should bring US$ cash if you want the best exchange rates. Japanese yen and HK$ also get a good exchange, other currencies can be exchanged but will get a lower rate. Likewise, traveler`s cheques will also yield a lower rate.