Chinese city struggles to preserve its legacy
Harbin
WHEN he first arrived in the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin in 1984 to attend university, Bu Chong was stunned to see an imposing, European-style building on campus with tall columns, arched doors and elaborate reliefs. "I'm from the countryside," he said, "and I'd never seen anything like this."
For Gao Hong, a local businesswoman, such structures are not at all surprising. They were standard features of the Harbin she knew as a child, a city constructed in the late 19th century as a Far Eastern outpost of imperial Russia, a base for the Chinese Eastern Railway in what was once known as Manchuria.
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
Property
Homebuyers shun new real estate in Vancouver, hurting builders
US pending home sales jump in March to hit highest in the year
Blackstone strikes US$1.6 billion student housing deal with KKR
European real estate deals slump to lowest level in 13 years
Singapore Q1 industrial rents rise further as occupancy dips and prices fall: JTC
Condo resale volumes rebound in March; prices inch up 0.4%: SRX, 99.co