The Liao & Jin History Museum of Heilongjiang

A comprehensive museum housing Heilongjiang's history, nature, and art collections. Permanent exhibitions include "Heilongjiang Historical Relics," "Natural History," and the "Harbin Past — Early 20th Century Social Life" exhibition, which recreates scenes of the city a century ago. Built in 1922, the museum is a landmark of Harbin.

During the Japanese occupation, this building was used as the Harbin police headquarters of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo. It played a pivotal role in the suppression of all those opposed to Japanese rule. A number of prominent Chinese patriots were imprisoned and tortured here. In 1946, about one year after the Japanese surrender, Harbin came under the control of the Communist Party of China, and the Party decided to turn this place into a martyrs’ memorial. The memorial opened in 1948. Today it has exhibitions on 162 individuals who died fighting the Japanese and 118 individuals who died during the Chinese Civil War.

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.

A provincial art museum founded in 1962, housed in a three-story European-style building from the 19th century. Its collection focuses on modern and contemporary Chinese art, especially woodblock prints from the Beidahuang and Heilongjiang schools. The museum also holds a significant collection of Russian oil paintings.

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.

This is a great and cheap health club. Foreign students and teachers hang out here.