HarbinHarbin is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang province, in northeast China. Historically, it has played a major 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 stretches along the Songhua River near the edge of the Songnen Plain in the southern part of Heilongjiang Province. It is bordered by 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 moderately temperate continental monsoon, characterized by hot, humid summers and very high temperatures. cold winters (with little precipitation) lasting up to 5 months per year. Nighttime temperatures can reach -40 degrees Celsius. The metropolitan region consists of six districts. The additional jurisdictions are two other districts, seven counties, and three county-level cities.PopulationIn 2009, Harbin had a population of 9.92 million consisting primarily of Han Chinese with significant numbers of Manchus and Mongolians. Foreign expatriates from Russia, Japan and Korea also live in Harbin. The most widely spoken language is the Harbin dialect, a variety of Mandarin with Russian and Manchu influences. English also continues to grow as a business language in Harbin. Harbin is a cultural melting pot which has proven to be a boon to its economic prospects.EducationThe city has 48 higher education institutions with approximately 615,000 students. There are 20 tertiary institutions with 45,000 enrolled and ...... middle of paper ......d to oversee the outsourcing of services in the city. The local government has incorporated many major policies into its 11th Five-Year Social and Economic Development Plan that will support the service outsourcing sector. These include the preferential policies to promote the development of service outsourcing and the Harbin service outsourcing training plan. The Harbin government has allocated special development funds for service outsourcing, loans and tax breaks, human resources training, research and development incentives, and projects to obtain international certifications. . Policies governing locators in industrial parks such as the Harbin Economic, Technological and High-Tech Development Zone have also been updated to expand subsidies and incentives for businesses. A special fund for projects carried out by the software services outsourcing sector has also been secured..