Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang Province, is located in the central part of the Songneng Plain, on the west bank of the Songhuajiang River. It is the center of politics, economy, science and technology, and culture, and the transportation pivot. Its unique history and geological location endows Harbin, a beautiful city with exotic sentiment, with historical culture of northern ethnic minority groups as well as Chinese and foreign cultures, and makes it a famous historical and cultural city and tourist destination in China. The city is reputed as the City of Rivers, the City of Rice, the Pearl on Swan's Nape, and the Oriental Moscow.

Harbin is located between 45°45'-46°20' north latitude and 126°15~127°30' east longitude, and has the continental monsoon climate in the temperate zone with long winters and short summers. The Harbin Ice and Snow Festival is a world-renowned winter tourist item.

Covering an area of 56,579 square kilometers with an urban area of 1,637 square meters, Harbin features low and plain, with average altitude of 150 to 200 meters. Under its jurisdiction there are seven districts, namely Nangang District, Daoli District, Dongli District, Xiangfang District, Taiping District, Daowai District and Pingfang District, and 12 counties and county-level cities, namely Acheng City, Shangzhi City, Hulan County, Shuangcheng County, Binxian County, Fangzheng County, Yilan County, Bayan County, Wuchang County, Mulan County, Yanshou County and Tonghe County.

Harbin has charming and gentle natural scenery and clearly demarcated seasons, and famous places of interest there include the Sun Island, the Northeast Tiger Zoo, the Stalin Park on the bank of the Songhuajiang River, Songfeng Mountain, Erlong Mountain, the Yuquan Gameland and so on are famous tourist attractions. Harbin is also one of the birthplaces of the world's ice and snow culture, and its Yabuli Mountain Skee Center, the Zhaoling Park Ice Lantern Show, winter swimming in the Songhuajiang River, snow sculpture, and ice and snow sightseeing have gained fame far and wide in the world. Besides, the Harbin Summer Concert and annual China Harbin Trade Fair are also known home and abroad.

The official flower in Harbin is clove, so the city is also called as the City of Clove.