Saint Sophia Cathedral

A 1907 Russian army church rebuilt in 1932 in Byzantine style (the largest Orthodox church in the Far East), red-brick onion domes + flocks of pigeons; now the Architectural Art Museum (exhibition on Harbin's urban development). Built in 1907 as a church attached to the Russian army and fully rebuilt in 1932 in Byzantine style, its red-brick onion domes stand out uniquely on Harbin's skyline — it is the largest Orthodox church in the Far East. Flocks of pigeons rise and land on the church square, forming Harbin's most recognizable picture together with the bronze-green dome. The interior now houses the Architectural Art Museum: CNY 20 admission lets you enter and visit the exhibition on Harbin's urban development, learning how the city grew out of the Chinese Eastern Railway. When the lights come on at dusk, the cathedral looks like a fairy-tale castle, and its red-brick domes under winter snow make a classic photo scene; together with Central Street and the Flood Control Memorial Tower it forms the old town's core route.

Getting there: On foot from Central Street