https://www.scmp.com/rss/330265/feed Yi-Ling Liu is a Beijing-based writer covering human interest stories about technology, culture, and society. She has worked in film and education, and has contributed to The New Yorker, The Economist, Foreign Policy, Guernica, and The Los Angeles Review of Books. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Harbin is a city of contradictions. Bookstores peddle dog-eared copies of Tolstoy alongside the latest Kindle e-reader; construction cranes sit next to onion-domed Orthodox churches; and sprawling office complexes share the skyline with ornate baroque buildings from the 1920s. Walking through the streets of this northeastern Chinese city—known for its long, harsh winters and Russian heritage—feels like walking through a place caught between its bygone past and an uncertain future, a city... https://www.scmp.com/culture/architect-rebuilds-his-citys-lost-heritage-piece-piece/article/3000941?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/architect-rebuilds-his-citys-lost-heritage-piece-piece/article/3000941?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Feb 2019 11:55:39 +0000 Borscht and caviar pancakes, rye soda and beer, milk ice pops, and Russian tiramisu—they’re some of the foods you might find in Harbin, the northeastern Chinese city known for its blistering cold winters and famed ice sculpture festival. But the city also has a surprisingly cosmopolitan Russian identity that’s woven into everything from the architecture to food. Sometimes called the “Moscow of the Orient,” Harbin’s connection to Russia dates back to 1898, when Russian engineers arrived in the... https://www.scmp.com/travel/6-surprisingly-authentic-russian-spots-check-out-harbin/article/3000703?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/travel/6-surprisingly-authentic-russian-spots-check-out-harbin/article/3000703?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Feb 2019 14:22:47 +0000