HarbinHarbin is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in northeast China. It has historically played an important role in trade between China and neighboring Russia. The city's strategic location and abundant resources have made it the administrative, economic, industrial, cultural, educational and transportation center of Northeast China. Covering an area of ​​53,796 square kilometers, Harbin is located along the Songhua River near the edge of the Songnen Plain in the southern part of Heilongjiang Province. It borders Yichun, Qitahe, Jiamusu, and Suihua prefectures to the north, Daqing to the west, and Mudanjiang prefecture and Jilin province to the south. Harbin's climate is classified as medium-temperate continental monsoon, characterized by hot humid summers and very cold winters (with little precipitation) that can last up to 5 months a year. Night temperatures can reach -40 degrees Celsius. The metropolitan region is made up of six districts. Additional jurisdictions are two more districts, seven counties, and three county-level cities. Population In 2009, Harbin had a population of 9.92 million people composed primarily of Han Chinese with sizable numbers of Manchus and Mongols. Foreign expats from Russia, Japan and Korea also live in Harbin. The widely spoken language is Harbin dialect, a variety of Mandarin with Russian and Manchurian influences. English also continues to grow as a business language in Harbin. Harbin is a cultural melting pot that has proven beneficial to its economic prospects. Education The city has 48 tertiary education institutions with approximately 615,000 students. There are 20 postgraduate institutes with 45,000 enrollments and… mid-paper… overseeing the outsourcing of services in the city. The local government has incorporated many important policies to support the service outsourcing sector into its 11th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development. These include the preferential policies on promoting the development of service outsourcing and the Harbin Service Outsourcing Training Plan. The Harbin government has allocated special funds for the development of service outsourcing, loans and tax breaks, human resources training, research and development incentives, and projects to obtain international certifications. . Policies regulating locating in industrial parks such as the Harbin Economic, Technological and Hi-Tech Development Zone have also been updated to extend subsidies and incentives to companies. A special fund has also been guaranteed for projects carried out by the software services outsourcing industry.