AfamousriverdividesHarbinintothenorthandthesouthpart,alongitsbankformedtwoamazingriversideparks.ThatistheMotherRiverofHarbin—SonghuaRiver.
SonghuaRiver,ranksthefifthlongestriverinChina,runsabout1,897kilometerslongandcoversadrainageareaof545,600squarekilometers.ThesourceoftheriverisacraterlakecalledHeavenlyLakewithanelevationof2,189metersatthetopoftheChangbaiMountain,whichbordersNorthKoreainChina’sJilinProvince.ThewaterfallsdownfromtheHeavenlyLakeandformsawaterfall,asifthewaterrushesdownfromhaven.HencethelocalManchuinhabitantcalledit“HeavenlyLake”inmeaning,“Songga-liwula”inpronunciation.NowwetransliterateintoChineseSonghuaRiver.
Itis4metersindepthand1kilometerinwidthonaverageinHarbinsector.SonghuaRiverhasmorethan900branchesinlargeandsmallsize.TheriverisfrozenoverfromNovembertoAprilthenestyear.theperiodoffreezingweatheris135days.
AsthelargestbranchoftheHeilongRiver,SonghuaRiverwindingthroughHarbinfor117kilometersandservedasanimportantarteryforthedevelopmentofthecity.Inthe17thcentury,underthereignofEmperorKangxi,navalshipswerestationedalongtheseareas,andresistedtheinvadingRussianenemysuccessfully.Afterthat,in1689,Sino-RussianTreatyofNerchinskwassigned.ThatisthefirstborderagreementbetweentheQinggovernmentandtheimperialRussiangovernment.OnJune6th,1898,aRussiawarshiptakenontheengineersandsurveyorstomadeatopographicmapforbuildingtheChina-EastRailway.TherelandingpointiswheretheFloodControlMonumentlocatednow.Fromthenon,theriverbecamebusyandlotsofmaterialneededforbuildtherailwayweretransportedthroughthisRiverandthen,amoderncitywaserectedatthesouthbankofSonghuaRiver.
Threebigbridgeshavebeenbuiltovertheriver,andoneofthemconnectedthesouthbankofHarbinandSunIslandwasbuiltin1983andopenedtotrafficin1986.ThisbridgeapproachortheleadingbridgeonthesouthbankoftheSonghuaRiverwasdesignedtohavetwocircles.Sothewholebridgewaslikeascissorsandthebridgeapproachislikethescissors’handle.
TheSonghuaRiverinwinterisnolessbustlingthanasummerbathingbeach.It’sfrozenhardwithicenearlyonemeterthick,turningitintoahugeplaygroundforallkindsoficesports.Youcangoskatingandicesailing,orrideinicejunksorhorse-drawnsleighs.Butifyouwanttodosomethingreallydifferent,whynotgetintoaswimmingcostumeandjointhosecrazypeople,youngandold,divingandswimminginapooloficywaterdugoutofthefrozenriver?