Editing Harbin (section)

===Historical architecture===
[[File:Central walk (1) - panoramio.jpg|thumb|right|European-style building in Central Street]][[Central Street (Harbin)|Central Street]], one of the main business streets in Harbin, is a remnant of the bustling international business activities at the turn of the 20th century. First built in 1898, The {{convert|1.4|km|abbr=on}} long street is now a veritable museum of European architectural styles: [[Baroque]] and [[Byzantine architecture|Byzantine]] façades,<ref name="hktdc.com HarbinInfo"/> little Russian bakeries and French fashion houses, as well as non European architectural styles: American eateries, and [[Japanese restaurant]]s.<ref name="Central Street">{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.cnto.org.uk/harbin/2007_10_23_16/20071023163837426.htm
 |title        = Central Street
 |publisher    = China National Tourist Office
 |access-date   = 23 October 2007
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20071102145922/http://www.cnto.org.uk/harbin/2007_10_23_16/20071023163837426.htm
 |archive-date = 2007-11-02
 }}</ref>

The [[Russian Orthodox]] church, [[Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin|Saint Sophia Cathedral]], is also located in the central district of Daoli.<ref name="hktdc.com HarbinInfo"/> Built in 1907 and expanded from 1923 to 1932, it was closed during the [[Great Leap Forward]] and Cultural Revolution periods. Following its designation in 1996 as a national cultural heritage site (First class Preserved Building),<ref>[http://www.upp.cn:8084/english/view/Arts/index_1.html "Preserved Buildings"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306120047/http://www.upp.cn:8084/english/view/Arts/index_1.html |date=2012-03-06 }}. [http://www.upp.cn/english/ Harbin Urban and Rural Planning Bureau] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531124449/http://www.upp.cn/english/ |date=2014-05-31 }}.</ref> it was turned into a museum as a showcase of the history of Harbin city in 1997.<ref name="Koga">Yukiko Koga. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=hkq9tNjsSo8C "The Atmosphere of a Foreign Country": Harbin's Architectural Inheritance] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160515175520/https://books.google.com/books?id=hkq9tNjsSo8C&printsec=frontcover |date=2016-05-15 }}''. In: Anne M. Cronin, Kevin Hetherington. ''Consuming the Entrepreneurial City: Image, Memory, Spectacle''. Routledge, 2008. p. 229.</ref> The {{convert|53.35|m|abbr=on}}-tall Church, which covers an area of 721 square meters, is a typical representative of Byzantine architecture.<ref name="Sofia Orthodox Church">{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.cnto.org.uk/harbin/2007_10_23_16/20071023164619188.htm
 |title        = St. Sofia Orthodox Church
 |publisher    = China National Tourist Office
 |access-date   = 23 October 2007
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20071102145923/http://www.cnto.org.uk/harbin/2007_10_23_16/20071023164619188.htm
 |archive-date = 2007-11-02
 }}</ref>

[[File:ハルビン極楽寺玄関.jpg|thumb|right|Ji Le Temple (Temple of Bliss), a Buddhist temple in Harbin]]
Many citizens believe that the Orthodox church damaged the local [[feng shui]], so they donated money to build a Chinese Buddhist monastery in 1921, the [[Ji Le Temple]]. There were more than 15 Russian Orthodox churches and two cemeteries in Harbin until 1949. The [[Communist Revolution]], and the subsequent [[Cultural Revolution]], and the decrease in the [[Russians in China|ethnic Russian]] population, saw many of them abandoned or destroyed. Today, about 10 churches remain, while services are held only in the [[Church of the Intercession in Harbin]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://orthodox.cn/contemporary/harbin/pokrov_en.htm|title=Protection (Pokrov) of the Mother of God Church of Harbin|access-date=27 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160722215200/http://www.orthodox.cn/contemporary/harbin/pokrov_en.htm|archive-date=22 July 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Harbin Railway Administration, formerly known as the Middle East Railway Administration, commonly known as the "big stone house", was built in 1902, destroyed twice and rebuilt in 1904 and 1906.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}