Ice

This is a photo taken out my window at the Shangri-La Hotel overlooking the frozen Songhua River with the sun setting over the city skyline in the distance.

I’m here in Harbin for their famous annual Ice Festival.  The place is a sleepy burg by Chinese standards (a mere ten million & a half people or so) and lies so far to the northeast of the country that it wasn’t part of China through most of history.  It is the historic home of the Manchu people who would go on to rule China as the very last dynasty, the Qing.

In fact, most Americans probably know this region as “Manchuria.”  And it doesn’t take a Jessica Fletcher to realize that — much like the candidate — it’s got a strong Russian influence.

The Chinese name for the region, however, is 黑龙江 (Hēilóngjiāng meaning “Black Dragon River”) which I think everyone can agree makes it the greatest province, state, or region name of all time.