The trade mission[s] to China led by [Gov. Tim Pawlenty in 2005 and by] former governor Jesse Ventura [in 2002] strengthened the existing link between Minnesota and China that has developed since the late 19^th century. [They] served to highlight the ways in which China and Minnesota are well suited to have a mutually beneficial economic relationship. China’s rapidly growing demands for foreign goods in the high tech industry including medical devices, telecommunications equipment and computer software and related products create excellent export opportunities for Minnesota companies that have a strong presence in those industries.

While economic ties and compatibilities are significant in the relationship between China and Minnesota, the sister city relationships that are fostered have other important aspects besides economics.

Harbin, China in Heilongjiang Province is the sister city of Minneapolis. Harbin is the capital of Heilongjiang and the largest provincial capital in China. Harbin has a population of [4.25 million as of September 2007]. It is the political, economical, cultural, scientific, technological and transportation center of Heilongjiang. Harbin is home to more than 40 different ethnic groups.

Harbin is a city of thriving commerce which has established commercial relations with more than 100 countries and regions. It is an important material collection and distribution point in northeast China and has the goal to become an important economic and trade city in northeastern Asia which includes, Mongolia, Japan, and North and South Korea. But in order to better understand Harbin’s current economic position, it is important to learn about its social, cultural and political history.

Harbin’s history goes back to prehistoric times as many as 22,000 years ago. To date, more than ten prehistoric sites have been discovered in the region. In historical times, about a dozen aboriginal ethnic groups, including the Manchus who ruled China during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), lived and built their kingdoms in Harbin. By the end of the 19th century, about 30,000 people lived in what are now the urban districts of the city.

In 1896, the Russian government seized power and extended the Siberian railway into northeastern China. They chose Harbin to manage the new section of the railway. With the gradual completion of the railway construction project, Harbin's population expanded quickly. By 1903, when the railway was completed, a modern city was starting to take shape. At that time, Harbin was divided into two sections. The first was under the control of the Qing government. The second was governed by Russian colonists, who rented it on the pretext of managing the railway.

This history is reflected in the Russian-influenced architecture whose dome-shaped structures are nostalgic throwbacks to pre-revolutionary Russia. This strong Russian flavor continues to permeate the city today due to burgeoning trade and tourism between Harbin and Russia. On the streets of the city, a fair number of the foreigners are Russian. The city's mixture of grandiose historical buildings with the growing number of sleek and slick modern commercial and office buildings reflect the intriguing juxtaposition of Harbin's history and future.

Following the Russian defeat in the Russian-Japanese War (1904-5), Russia's influence declined, and 160,000 nationals from 33 countries including the United States, Germany, and France moved to Harbin. Sixteen countries established consulates and set up several thousand industrial, commercial and banking companies in Harbin. The Chinese also established their own businesses in brewing, foodstuffs and the textile industry.

Given Harbin’s development into a multiethnic city and its bustling international business activities at the turn of the 20th century, it is not surprising that it has developed commercial relationships with so many other places around the world.

Harbin also prides itself on being one of the cities significant to the spread of Marxism in China. In April 1919, Zhou En Lai, who later became the Chinese premier, visited Harbin and engaged in revolutionary propaganda and organization. In 1923, Harbin saw northeastern China’s first branch of the Chinese Communist Party established. The first Northeast China Regional Congress of Communists was held in Harbin in 1927 and in 1929, a future Chinese president, Liu Shao Qi, came to Harbin to direct uprisings of railway workers. Harbin later grew into a center of revolutionary struggle and anti-Japanese efforts.

In the 1930s, when northeastern China was part of the Japanese puppet kingdom of Manchukuo, Harbin was directly under the control of that state's Central Government. Harbin residents were forced to learn the Japanese language and suffered political prejudice under the virtual Japanese rule. During the Second World War the infamous Japanese 731 Division, a germ warfare experimental base, was located there, horrifically killing many Chinese and other nationals.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Harbin swiftly recovered from the years of war and rose to be one of the few major economic cities in China. It also provided strong backup to the Chinese army who were fighting the Americans in North Korea in the early 1950s. Later, the former Soviet Union's aid projects helped build Harbin into one of China's heavy industrial bases.

[In 2004,] students from South High School in Minneapolis and Harbin #1 MS [participated] in an historic educational exchange through the US-China Youth Exchange Program. They [experienced] a different culture and [learned] a new perspective. This is the essence of the sister city program in action. By reaching out and learning about others we can learn more about ourselves. By trying to understand and relate to others, we gain a greater perspective of our own communities and our place in the world.

Editor’s note: This article was originally printed in the August 2003 issue of China Insight. The article has been amended to reflect population changes and events that have occurred since the article was written.