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Hāěrbīn Sights

Japanese Germ Warfare Experimental Base

1 reviews | Write a review

  • Address
    • Xinjiang Dajie
  • Price
    • free
  • Hours
    • 9-11am & 1-3.30pm Tue-Sun

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Lonely Planet review for Japanese Germ Warfare Experimental Base

There are museums highlighting Japanese wartime atrocities all over Dongbei, but this is one is actually set in the notorious Japanese Germ Warfare Experimental Base – 731 Division used to inflict some of those atrocities. Between 1939 and 1945, Chinese prisoners of war and civilians were frozen alive, subjected to vivisection or infected with bubonic plague, syphilis and other virulent diseases. Three to four thousand people died here in the most gruesome fashion, including Russians, Koreans, Mongolians and, it is believed, a few American airmen.

The main building of the base is now a museum complete with photos, sculptures and exhibits of the equipment used by the Japanese. There are extensive English captions.

The base is in the far south of Hā'ěrbīn and takes about an hour to get to by bus. To the left of the post office on Tielu Jie, catch bus 343 (Y2). Get off at the stop called Xinjiang Dajie and walk back for about five minutes. The base is on the left-hand side of the road. If you get lost, just ask the locals the way to 'Qi San Yi' or '731'.

 

Traveller reviews for Japanese Germ Warfare Experimental Base (1)

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    A long way out but eerily informative and fascinating.

    worldisquiet recommends this,

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    It cost us 70 RMB to take a taxi from Jiang Bei (where Harbin Polarland is) to this site. On the way back, however, we were lucky enough to get a ride with a tour bus and then take public transport (bus 114) to Zhongyang Dajie, which cost 1 RMB. If you are planning on visiting on a Monday, call ahead and make sure they're open. When we went, we nearly could not get in because they have started not opening to the public on Mondays. The tour group we met there had a Chinese-speaking guide who convinced the keepers to open their doors to us. Don't forget to visit the backyard of the building, which still has the ruins of the original warfare base, as well as a crumbling crematorium.

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