Harbin Museum

Harbin city history (Chinese Eastern Railway / city of émigrés / Jinyuan Jin-dynasty culture) brought together in one multi-hall museum. The Harbin Museum on Liushu Street, converted from several historic buildings, uses its multi-hall layout to tell the city's layered history all at once: how the building of the Chinese Eastern Railway gave rise to Harbin, how émigrés from more than twenty countries lived and did business here side by side, and where the nicknames “Moscow of the East” and “Paris of the East” came from — all presented systematically along the exhibition line. The Jinyuan culture zone traces the city's story back a thousand years to the Jurchen dynasty. The pairing of recreated scenes of Russian émigré life with the historic buildings themselves makes the exhibits quite immersive. Free with reservation; it makes an ideal starting point for a Harbin CityWalk — read the history first, then walk the streets, and what you see in Laodaowai and Central Street will take on new depth. Closed Mondays; take note when planning your itinerary.

Getting there: Liushu Street