In Harbin [1], before the Chinese came to power, in the train station there had been an icon with Saint Nicholas left by the Russian refugees. It was worshipped even by the Chinese.
One day a soaking wet Chinese man came to the station, knelt down before the icon, thanking to Saint Nicholas in his native tongue. One day, during winter, he tried to cross the river Shangri La. This river passes through Harbin and in winter it freezes.
As he was hurriedly walking, the ice broke and he fell down in the water. While sinking he remembered the icon and cried: “Old man from the station please help me!”
Then he lost his consciousness and sank. Death seemed sure for him. The only thing he remembers is that all of a sudden he found himself on the river bank and his body was almost frozen. Then he ran as fast as he could to the train station and knelt down before the icon, thanking to Saint Nicholas for his miraculous intervention.
[1] Harbin is the capital of the Northern province of China Heilongjiang. The city grew at the end of the 19th century with an influx of Russian engineers who built the Eastern joint of the Trans Siberian railroad.
