Economic Overview
Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province, is the political, economic and cultural center of Northeast China.
In 2006, it became a ''Provincial Garden City'' and ''Chinese Tourism City'' and won the title ''National Top 100
City for Investment Environment''. The Songhua River runs through the north quarter of Harbin and then heads
north through to Russia where it joins the Amur River, eventually emptying out into the Strait of the Sea of Japan.
Harbin is China's coldest city, and its picturesque Russian-influenced architecture reinforces the city' s image
as the country' s snow and ice capital. Thousands flock to the annual Harbin Ice Festival, where sculptors from
all over the world come to participate and build fantastic ice lanterns and sculptures.
But apart from its scenic appeal, Harbin is also one of the important industrial centers in China. Its strategic
industries --- the automotive sector, electronics and information technology, the electro-mechanical sector and
and pharmaceuticals – have lifted Harbin to number 22 on the list of industrial cities in terms of the value of
output and production, reaching 209.4 billion RMB in 2010, an increase of 13.5% over the previous year. This
continues very robust trend of double digit economic growth over the past 7 years, and doubles that of the total
production in the year 2000. Fiscal revenues topped out at over 19 billion RMB in 2006 and investment in fixed
capital assets amounted to 81 billion RMB. The city's gross retail income of daily-use consumables reached
89.54 billion.
Harbin International Fashion Week 2011 Begins on Dec. 16th
The Harbin International Fashion Week 2011 will be held at Hongbo Xicheng red Square in Harbin (哈尔滨市
红博西城红场) on December 16th. The French Fashion Association, the Italian Garment Association, the
Chinese Designers Association, Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Shenzhen Garment Association,
and the Beijing Garment Association will all attend Harbin International Fashion Week. The event will last four
days, and is sponsored by the Harbin Municipal Government and the China National Garment Association.
Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival Opens in January
The opening ceremony for the 28th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival will held on January 5th. Attractions
include ice acrobatics, ice dancing, an ice "fashion show", ice and snow sculpture competitions, a winter swimming
invitational, cross-country skiing competitions, reindeer parade and many others. The Harbin International Ice and
Snow Festival will be open for one month.
The festival is sponsored by the National Tourism Administration and the Heilongjiang Provincial People's Government,
and is organized by the Heilongjiang Provincial Tourism Bureau and the Municipal Government of Harbin.
