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Places Of Worship In Harbin

With a long history, Harbin is a city which was not surrounded and protected by a city wall. Archeological discoveries showed that human beings existed in Harbin area as early as the late Paleolithic period 22,000 years ago which is the earliest Heilongjiang ancient civilizations. In addition, Harbin is the birth place of the Jin and Qing dynasties. There are many culture relics in Harbin: the Buddhist Jile Temple, Confucius Temple, Seven Pagoda Tower and the Ruins of Jin Dynasty capital.
 
From 1896 to 1903, with the construction of railways linking China and Russia, Harbin gradually formed its own prototype of modern cities. In early 20th century, Harbin became an international commercial center, there were 160,000 foreigners from 33 different countries lived in Harbin and 16 countries set up their consulates in Harbin. During the anti-Japanese War, Harbin was under Japanese occupation. To commemorate these martyrs who died during the anti-Japanese war, Northeast Martyrs Memorial Hall, Shangzhi Forest of Stone Tablets, Zhaolin Park were built.
 
In 1945 when Harbin was liberated from the Japanese rule, the population of Harbin was around 700,000; On April 28, 1946, the government of Harbin under Chinese Communist Party was set up and Harbin became the largest city administrated by the Communist Party of China. As a new tourist destination, Harbin is best known for its European style buildings and snow and ice festival.
 
Church (Catholic & Christian) in Harbin
 
St. Sophia Cathedral
St. Sophia Cathedral, (Daoli District on the corner of Zhaolin and Toulong Sts). One of the few still standing Orthodox churches in the city. It is now converted into a Harbin Museum of Architecture. Inside there are exhibitions of many photographs from old times. Definitely worth going into, however, if you are used to European Churches do not expect the quality. Entrance fee is ¥20.
 
Harbin Jewish New Synagogue
Harbin Jewish New Synagogue, 162 Jing Wei Jie. Has been restored and contains an impressive collection detailing the history of Jews in Harbin. There were 20,000 at one point and the synagogue is well worth a visit. Further up Tong Jiang Jie is the old synagogue that is now a youth hostel and cafe, with the old Jewish school next door -both worth a detour to look at from the outside. 
 
Buddhist Temples in Harbin
 
Jile Temple
Jile Temple of Harbin, China is the biggest Buddhist building complex in Heilongjiang and was constructed between 1921 and 1924. The grounds cover 27 570 square meters and the buildings 5 186 square meters. It is located at No. 5, East Dazhi Street, Nangang Dist. in Harbin.
 
Taoist (Daoist) Temples in Harbin
 
Harbin Confucius Temple
Harbin Confucius Temple was built in 1926 and completed in 1929. The temple ground occupies an area of 25,000 square meters and its construction area is 5,674 square meters. It is not only the most complete existing old building in Heilongjiang Province, but the largest one of its kind in Northeast China. In 1996, the temple was listed on the key historical sites under state protection. 
 
In China, the Confucius Temple is the temple set up to worship the great ancient Chinese statesman, thinker and educator, as well as the founder of the Confucianism. Confucius, who was born in Shandong province 2,500 years ago and taught more than 3,000 students in his lifetime, among them 72 were outstanding. He is the greatest teacher in China's history and has worldwide influence and his works have worldwide influence. 
 
Harbin Confucius Temple is a perfect combination of ancient Chinese garden and architecture. It has 3 beautiful courtyards with many old trees and rare flowers. Its buildings are characterized with very strong Qing Dynasty's architectural style. The main buildings are all located on the axis and other buildings on its sides. They are also symmetrical. The main buildings are covered with glazed yellow tiles which were exclusively used by the royal buildings. As Confucius was worshiped by all emperors, the Confucius Temple was given the privilege of using this color. Building on the sides use green tiles. Small as it is, the temple looks spectacular as the Forbidden City in Beijing, and is nicknamed "the Forbidden City of Harbin".
 
Address: No. 25 (right beside the campus of the Harbin Engineering University), Wenmiao Street, Nangang District.
 
Mosques (Masjid) in Harbin
 
Harbin Daowai Mosque 
The Masque was first built in the 23rd year (1897) of Guangxu, Qing Dynasty(1644-1911). It is an outstanding construction of Islamic traditional architectural style.
 
The major buildings include prayer hall, bath house, Xuanli building, office room and other facilities. The prayer hall is located in the center of the temple, which is opposite to the main gate. The prayer hall, covering an area of 426 square meters and 13 meters high, can hold 500 to 600 people to do prayer. There are two tall Xuanli buildings standing in the left and right side of the prayer hall.
 
Address: the Crossing of Jingyu Street and NO. 14 South Street, Daowai, Harbin 
 
Harbin Xiangfang Mosque 
The Xiangfang Mosque was first built in 1905 and was rebuilt and removed for many times. Now the temple 1,600 square meters including the constructed area of 225 square meters. The major buildings includes the main hall, bath house and imam room. The main hall occupies an area of 87 square meters.
 
Address: 12 Danjing Street, Xingfang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang
 
Harbin Taipingqiao Mosque 
The Taipingqiao Mosque was built in 1913 and was rebuilt and removed for many times. The temple covers an area of 333 square meters including the constructed area of 199 square meters. The major buildings includes the main hall, teaching room and bath house. The main hall is a two-floor building, which occupies an area of 80 square meters.
 
Address: Tonghe Street, Taiping District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 
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