Job Discussion Forums

earl · Joined: 11 Oct 2004 Posts: 79 Location: DongBei

Current Conditions
Updated: 7:00 AM CST on December 29, 2005
Observed At: Harbin, Heilongjiang
Elevation: 143 m

-30 �C
Freezing Fog Smoke

I won't ever return. hahahaha

cj750 · Joined: 27 Apr 2004 Posts: 3081 Location: Beijing

never lived in harbin but did do a couple of (long years) in Changchun...and rode a motorcycle everyday to and from work...went out of the weekends and live a pretty normal life...yea it is cold up in the North East but the opportunities are plentiful and the folks are great..and the women are pretty..if you can get those 9 layers of clotheing off...

Pericles77 · Joined: 30 May 2005 Posts: 56 Location: Edmonton/Harbin

I hate it. I'm leaving here forever in one week. Want my job?

Shocked

PhilipM · Joined: 05 Jan 2005 Posts: 3 Location: London-way

it can't be that bad in the norht east can it, i've heard the locals swim in the outside waters this time of year.
u must be able to buy good thermals

Travel Zen · Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2005 10:19 pm Post subject:

Harbin is a cold city...but the locals I find are better than the ones in the south (Beijing, Shenzhen, etc).

In China, there aren't too many things that will remind you of the west....especially the people and their way of thinking, acting.

If you are looking for an adventure of maybe one year....then why not?

But if you are looking for all the creature comforts of home....go to Korea and Japan.

My two rinminbi.

MrBeijingles · Joined: 17 Sep 2005 Posts: 67 Location: Shanghai

I really like Harbin even if it is really cold, I just wear more clothes - wool insoles, long underwear, and a down jacket

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

I think a winter with heavy snow and deep-freeze temperatures is highly preferable to a cold, miserable season with rain and winds that chill your bones under 3 layers of garments! We have right now 20-+ here in Guangdong and it is balmy; but once the NE monsoon comes from up Manchuria and Siberia, it can cause you no end of discomfort - from permanent coughing to cracked skin and a permanent feeling of being cold! When the spring rains come, and the temperature is still down, you begin your annual ritual of experiencing a sore throat, fever, cough, headache and general despondency!

It's not that bad just yet - but coming soon!

earl · Joined: 11 Oct 2004 Posts: 79 Location: DongBei

lyttlefish · Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2006 7:34 am Post subject: Harbin,,I'vebin

I have been to Harbin many times. At least one time for every month of the year.
Sure it is cold in the winter, but colder than the Yukon or Alaska, Alberta or Saskatchewan???? NO WAY!!!
Who says you have to go around in summer clothing or naked? Clothing for sub zero clothing is available, the schools, apartments, shops and restaurants are heated, there is an incredible multi-level underground shopping area that runs literally for miles.
The best thing about Harbin is its proximity to Daqing, another wonderful city in Heilongjiang province.
The people up here are more than friendly, the food is some of the best to be had in China..all good hearty meat and vegetable dishes.
The cost of living is incredibly low, most of us can easily live on 1500 RMB a month and bank the rest.
The winter is short and the spring arrives late March..trees leaf overnight and the thermometer rises to +35 by mid July.
So..thinking of Harbin or Daqing???
It cannot be all that bad..there are at least 500 of us foreigners living up here between the two cities, a good many have been here for more than 2 years.
And...it is only 11 hours on the overnight sleeper to Beijing..a treat worth experiencing
<')))><

earl · Joined: 11 Oct 2004 Posts: 79 Location: DongBei

sigmoid · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 1276

Plus the water's mighty tasty!

Pericles77 · Joined: 30 May 2005 Posts: 56 Location: Edmonton/Harbin

I grew up in Quebec and Alberta. I don't think Harbin's winters are any colder than those two places, though they may be unbearable for someone from Texas. Otherwise, I hate this dump. I don't recommend coming here.

okievmax · Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 10 Location: Oklahoma

I met a fellow in Bangkok last week who worked some years in Harbin..raved about friendly people and implied beautiful women. How do the women interact with western men? Nice night clubs, seedy massage parlors? I'm looking at China after Indonesia but don't think I want Bejing, Shanghai chaos after Jakarta. Pls advise.

LeiShan · Joined: 13 Sep 2005 Posts: 41

I grew up in Northern Ontario. I have also spent winter months in Harbin. Not much different except I didn't have to climb out my window to be able to shovel the snow from the front door in Harbin!

Austrian · Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 7:57 am Post subject:

I currently teach and live in Jilin, which is a few hours on the train from Harbin. When I signed on, I was a bit afraid of the cold winters, despite being used to them from back home, but all I can say - this one so far has been just great. Yes, the temps are low, but we have sunshine almost every day, I have under-the-floor-heating in my apartment, so, often it even gets too hot. The air is usually fresh and clear, no rain, little mud as the temperatures never rise above 0.

From my current point of view I wouldn't mind staying up north for quite a few years to come. Plus, here we don't pay for heating - the apartment owner does - different to most aircon costs which have to be covered by the tenant ...

Harbin, I don't know so far, but I'm going this weekend - that is also how I came across this post.