Inside St Sophia
By the 1990's, St. Sophia had undergone considerable decline. The church was no longer in use, and residential apartments and office buildings surrounded it. Magnificent Russian painted murals that adorned the church's arched walls were destroyed out of recognition. Consequently, in 1997, the Harbin government under took to undo the decades of deterioration. Unfortunately the original Russian murals were lost completely, so they were replaced by topically new murals depicting the architectural history of the Harbin community. Now, the murals, pendent lamps, dome and the bell tower are restored to their original splendor. In addition it is used as a showcase of the multicultural architecture and art in Harbin. Well worth a visit.
For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. A... ... read more 
