Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of China International Travel Service, I would like to welcome you with open arms. My name is xxx. Our driver is Mr xxx. He is a very experienced driver. So we're safe with him. During your visit to Harbin, we will make joint efforts to make your stay enjoyable. I heard that you are all from Australia. Finding yourself in the "city of ice" in the middle of winter must be a big change. However, our city is not as cold as you think. As you can see, when you are sitting in a carriage, eating in a restaurant and sleeping in your room, the weather is not cold. If you wear suitable clothes and coats, you will feel very comfortable when you take part in various outdoor activities and even when you visit our ice sculpture exhibition at night. So stay with me and do as Harbin people do, and you will have a good time here.

Now we have just left the airport. The airport is about 40 kilometers away from the city. I want to take this opportunity to introduce Harbin to you. Harbin is located in the south of Heilongjiang Province, east longitude 125 degrees and north latitude 46 degrees. It is the capital of the province, with jurisdiction over 7 districts and 12 counties. It covers an area of 53 166 square kilometers and has a population of 9.56 million. Therefore, it claims to be the largest among the capital cities in China. However, its urban area is 1.637 square kilometers and its population is 3.35 million.

Harbin has a temperate monsoon climate with four distinct seasons. In summer, the highest temperature can reach above 30 degrees Celsius. In winter, the minimum temperature can drop to MINUS 30 degrees.

However, usually the daytime temperature is around-0/0 degrees. Today is MINUS 15 degrees, which is considered as the coldest day this winter. But don't do this. When we feel too cold, we can go to any teahouse to drink some hot tea. Anyway, you will be safe with me.

Now I want to tell you something about the history of Harbin. Harbin is both young and ancient. Excavation shows that our ancestors began to live in this land in the Paleolithic Age 20,000 years ago. At the end of 10, the ancestors of Manchu, the Jurchen nationality, settled here. They named the place where they lived "Alekin", which means "honor" or "fame" in Jurchen language. After years of evolution, Harbin has its present name. However, as a city, Harbin is very young. 1896, the Russian tsar forced the Qing government to sign an unequal agreement, allowing Russians to build railways in northeast China. This railway is called China Oriental Railway, which is connected with Russian Siberian Railway. Harbin was chosen as the headquarters. Since then, Harbin has developed into a modern city. By AD 1920, Harbin had become the largest financial and trade center in northeast China. Harbin has 16 foreign consulates and hundreds of foreign institutions. When the population of Harbin was about 500,000, foreign residents accounted for almost one third. You will soon find that there are still many foreign influences in Harbin.

We are still in the suburbs of Harbin. This area provides vegetables, meat and poultry for the city. Even in severe winter, greenhouses can produce fresh vegetables.

Harbin is an industrial city. It is one of the major industrial bases in China. In the past forty years, Harbin has established a comprehensive and extensive industrial system focusing on mechanical and electrical industries. There are more than 6,000 industrial enterprises in petrochemical, automobile, food, textile and building materials industries. Harbin is famous for its "hometown of electric power", which is named after three major factories: Harbin Electric Machine Factory, Harbin Boiler Factory and Harbin Steam Turbine Factory. Together they produce complete sets of equipment for power plants. So far, the equipment supplied by these three factories has accounted for more than one third of the total installed capacity in China. There are other famous industries in China. Harbin flax factory is the largest in Asia. Harbin also produces the best helicopters in China. Minivans produced by Harbin Automobile Factory are very popular in China.

Harbin is a famous tourist attraction. In 1998, it was selected as the best tourist city in China along with 53 other cities. Harbin claims that Xia Dong has the best two seasons. The weather in summer is very good. Compared with other tourist cities in China, it is not too hot here. Songhua River is 2309 kilometers long and is the second longest river in Heilongjiang Province. It passes through the city, adding to its beauty. Sun Island is the largest tourist attraction in Harbin, with natural habitats and many artificial features, such as lakes and parks. In winter, Harbin Ice and Snow Festival attracts more than/kloc-0 million tourists from home and abroad. There are other scenic spots, including Children's Park, Stalin Park, Provincial Museum and so on. In addition, Yabuli Ski Resort is about 200 kilometers east of Harbin. The 3rd Asian Winter Games was held there on 1996. It is the best ski resort in China. Ladies and gentlemen, we are almost at the hotel. You will stay at Swan Hotel. This is a three-star hotel and one of the best tourist hotels in Harbin. Besides excellent accommodation, there are various recreational facilities, such as swimming pool, bowling alley and karaoke room. I hope you enjoy your stay here.

Here we are at the Swan Hotel. Make sure you take all your belongings with you. Thank you for your attention.

My English guide words!