Hey! Your post was intetesting and insightful. I've taught >3 years in PRC... OK this is the straight skinny from a yank. I love several cities in China, especially Beijing. I've lived and taught in 5 universities and several other venues in those years.

Harbin is really cold... no joke. If you are uh like from N Canada you might like it, and I don't think many Nunavits would complain . I was there in fall 2003 and the isolation was really different for me - though I did teach in Russia one cold fall in the 1980s. It can really take a toll on the few lao wei teacher(s) there, few and far between. If you are really China savvy I would say it's ok. Perhaps that would be really really savvy.

If you are over ( I mean way over ) the constant "Hello" greetings and are not cynical then the isolated places there would be good. The Ice Festival comes to mind... but the food was unfortunately mamahuhu tell you the truth ... (so - so )

If you are OK with the food thing then it's all good.

I visited Har bin with my GF and truly it was not the place for "Guess who (lao wei) is coming for dinner?"... that is another story indeed.

But the area around there is really pretty.

Oh also I just this morning about a toxic spill heading down the river to Harbin... ... made me sad to remember...

China is so beautiful and so much potential... absolutely tantalizing in many ways.

So that's my tuppence worth, wish you happy!