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Melbourne to Harbin,China Return $307 (Hainan Airlines) March 2017 @ IWTF

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Melbourne to Harbin,China Return $307 (Hainan Airlines) March 2017 @ IWTF
Go to Deal
rawm on 30/01/2017 - 21:32 iwantthatflight.com.au (864 clicks)
Last edited 30/01/2017 - 21:55

So I was looking for the best international bang for your buck airfare and this takes the cake.
Travel dates are pretty limited (Early March) but you can basically travel to the other side of the Earth for $307
Where's Harbin? Map here.

Harbin looks to be an exotic place to visit, and the fusion of Russian/Chinese traditions would be very interesting. Pack your winter clothing though as March average temp is -10 at night and 2 degrees during the day!

Involves a few long but different city stopovers where you can explore the local area, have a sleep and add these to your trip.
You pay more for a MEL-SYD return flight most times. Hainan Airlines almost made the top 10 in the top 100 Airline Awards 2016 as well!

Full search link here

Travel Airfare Asia Hainan Airlines Harbin Heilongjiang

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  • [Deactivated] on 30/01/2017 - 21:41
    +10

    Harbin is a very interesting place, I visited a few years ago for the ice festival (in summer they have a beer festival), which coincided with Chinese New Year. Besides the quirky collision of Communist Russian & Chinese architecture, there is a very tall metal tower observatory, the Unit 731 Chemical Warfare Museum, and most impressively the Siberian Tiger sanctuary - you can purchase live animals to feed to the tigers (I went with ducks, but goats & cows are also available).

    • Hamlet on 30/01/2017 - 21:46
      +2

      The Siberian Tiger sanctuary was an interesting experience — not often do you see living big animals being fed to tigers within a few meters from you. Quite a scary scene for me.

      • Thatbargainhunter on 30/01/2017 - 23:19
        +6

        I actially found it horrible and depressing. Especially the non open range area where they had no shade in summer and where the Cubs are drugged up for photos opportunities.

        • nzthunderboy on 31/01/2017 - 01:40

          Out of curiosity, how are you associated with this post?

        • Thatbargainhunter on 31/01/2017 - 01:59
          +1

          @nzthunderboy:

          Not. Didn't realise it was checked. For some reason it did it automatically and now won't let me uncheck.

        • GnarlyKnuckles on 31/01/2017 - 14:09

          Below, it has been suggested that 'live feeding is no different from what occurs in nature'.

          That is not so, and in many cases it's extremely cruel. Here's a link to a video of a tiger eating (not killing, just eating) a cow at the Harbin Tiger Sanctuary. The tiger just gnaws away at it slowly, and evidently feels no need to actually kill it first (unlike in the wild, where there is a need, for various reasons).

          Watch this video (if you can get through it), then tell me if you believe that 'live feeding is no different from what occurs in nature'.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX1FR3ZK6lQ

        • Moderatorneil on 31/01/2017 - 15:49

          @sambutler9876:

          I have removed the association in which you clicked you were associated in Jan 2016. In future, please use the report link.

        • Thatbargainhunter on 31/01/2017 - 16:17

          @neil:

          Thanks

        • FatBlanket on 31/01/2017 - 17:44

          @GnarlyKnuckles:

          The world's a pretty gross place. But hey, God has a plan.

    • rawm on 30/01/2017 - 21:48

      Awesome, thanks for sharing. If not for work I'd have bought a ticket in a heartbeat.
      Not a massive fan of feeding livestock to Tigers and watching, but plenty of other stuff to do for sure.

      With this flight there are decent stopovers in Xian Xianyang - former capital of China and Changsha so you'd get to experience those places too.

      • [Deactivated] on 30/01/2017 - 21:55

        Definitely - the fabled Terracotta Warriors of Emperor Qinshihuang are sufficiently close that you could do a tour during layover. On the return leg, Changsha is a nice enough city, and whilst there you can check out the excavated Han Dynasty tombs that are within the city itself.

        • GnarlyKnuckles on 07/02/2017 - 00:25

          Yo Sir Chasm, re:

          'You have got it all wrong - it's not an arena spectacle where live animals are dropped into a pit to be shredded in front of a baying crowd.'

          Did you check out the video above?

          Two bus-loads of dudes (and those are just the ones we actually see in the 4-minute video) driven right up next to a tiger leisurely chewing away at a completely defenseless/terrified/bewildered/completely conscious/slowly dying cow?

          I don't think I have it 'all wrong' at all.

          I'd be interested in your opinion on the video though.

          Please provide it.

      • callum9999 on 31/01/2017 - 06:40
        +2

        While I guess it's not very different to hunting, or even simply eating meat, the idea that people take pleasure from paying to throw a live duck at a bunch of captive tigers and then watching it get attacked and devoured seems slightly disturbing to me!

        • StewBalls on 31/01/2017 - 08:29
          +1

          You have to understand there's a difference between taking pleasure and simply accepting the fact that unlike many other facilities, the tigers are at least able to eat live meat exactly as they do in the wild. The naive belief that giving them pre-butchered refrigerated meat as a substitute is acceptable is just laughable.

          I'd call keeping large carnivores caged & feeding them barely nutritious slop even more of a travesty than allowing them to eat as nature intended…

        • callum9999 on 03/02/2017 - 07:59
          +1

          @StewBalls:

          Are you being deliberately obtuse or just couldn't be bothered to read my post properly?

          1. Paying extra to get actively involved in the process is the difference between "accepting it's reality" and "taking pleasure".

          2. I didn't even hint they should get pre-butchered meat. Though I struggle to see how it's remotely laughable - they live in a zoo, they don't need to hunt (and since when were ducks their natural prey anyway - its hardly a challenge for them to catch it…). (Though again as I'm sure you'll twist those words, read the first sentence of this point).

          3. So now we've gone from my alleged demand to feed them pre-butchered meat to feeding them buckets of slop…

          4. If you want tigers to live natural lives you probably shouldn't be encouraging the practice of locking them up in small cages in zoos - which is exactly what paying the entrance fee does…

          5. To round off this sanctimonious rant, there's also the point I didn't consider mentioned above that having animals thrown at them within an enclosure isn't particularly "natural".

        • GnarlyKnuckles on 07/02/2017 - 00:05

          @StewBalls:

          '… exactly as they do in the wild'

          Yo Stewsballs, surely you know what is happening in the vid' linked to above/below is not 'exactly [what happens] in the wild'?

          Re the claims of others below that this operation is a 'charity' of some sort, that is ludicrous. Note that in the video, at least two bus-loads of tourists are driven past the macabre (and completely unnatural) spectacle taking place. A 'charity' that is responsible for the routine torture of animals is not a legitimate charity at all. In fact, it is the opposite.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX1FR3ZK6lQ

          I would be genuinely interested to hear your considered opinions on the above/this place SB.

    • [Deactivated] on 30/01/2017 - 22:08
      +3

      the Unit 731 Chemical Warfare Museum

      Jesus. I bet that's a cheery place.

      [Deactivated] on 30/01/2017 - 22:08 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
      • [Deactivated] on 30/01/2017 - 22:24
        -1

        It's interesting, quite grisly, but a testament to the atrocities that (are said to have) occurred there at the hands of the occupying Japanese forces. On the one hand it's confronting, given the level of detail of the exhibits / photographs displayed, on the other hand quite funny as the exhibits & English translations are very cheesy. Still, worth a visit if you happen to visit.

        • Speedz on 31/01/2017 - 09:10
          +1

          'Are said to have'

          Maybe my English is really bad so I could have misinterpret what you wrote but are you casting doubt that Unit 731's experiments were exaggerated or something>?

        • dtc on 31/01/2017 - 11:09
          +1

          @Speedz: The Chinese government has been known to offer slightly distorted views of the world and history on occasion. Japanese actions in China are very hard to pin down, as the Chinese arent always particularly accirate by intent and the Japanese tend to be very very silent about them.

        • Speedz on 31/01/2017 - 11:26
          +1

          @dtc:

          So you are denying it happened then even with all the evidence provided from an English source?

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731

          Unit 731 presents a special problem, since unlike Nazi human experimentation which the U.S. publicly condemned, the activities of Unit 731 are known to the general public only from the testimonies of willing former unit members, and testimony cannot be employed to determine indemnity in this way.
          Japanese history textbooks usually contain references to Unit 731, but do not go into detail about allegations, in accordance with this principle.[62][63] Saburo Ienaga's New History of Japan included a detailed description, based on officers' testimony. The Ministry for Education attempted to remove this passage from his textbook before it was taught in public schools, on the basis that the testimony was insufficient. The Supreme Court of Japan ruled in 1997 that the testimony was indeed sufficient and that requiring it to be removed was an illegal violation of freedom of speech.[64]
          In 1997, the international lawyer Kōnen Tsuchiya filed a class action suit against the Japanese government, demanding reparations for the actions of Unit 731, using evidence filed by Professor Makoto Ueda of Rikkyo University. All Japanese court levels found that the suit was baseless. No findings of fact were made about the existence of human experimentation, but the decision of the court was that reparations are determined by international treaties and not by national court cases.
          In October 2003, a member of the House of Representatives of Japan filed an inquiry. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi responded that the Japanese government did not then possess any records related to Unit 731, but the government recognized the gravity of the matter and would publicize any records that were located in the future.[65]

        • [Deactivated] on 31/01/2017 - 12:17

          @Speedz:

          Wikipedia is interesting and all, but not peer-reviewed, and as pointed out it's the victors who write the history. I'm not suggesting that the occupying forces didn't do horrible things but it's hard to prove the extent of that without the records that don't exist.

          Anyway, go there and look for yourself, it's a really interesting place, I'm glad I went.

        • Speedz on 31/01/2017 - 13:39

          @Sir Casm:

          That's a bit sad isn't you guys still implying as if it's exaggerated or something.

          Here is Aussie journalist writing about it.
          http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/08/28/1030508070534.h…

          UK's own report
          http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/7236099…

          How about NY Times?
          http://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/17/world/unmasking-horror-a-s…

          Too tabloid? Maybe the Guardian?
          https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/13/japan-revisits…

          Academic research from University Michigan Flint?
          https://www.umflint.edu/sites/default/files/groups/Research_…

          Academic article from University of Florida
          http://etd.fcla.edu/CF/CFE0004767/Vanderbrook_Alan_J_20133_M…

          Another recently published peer reviewed article
          http://jme.bmj.com/content/early/2016/03/21/medethics-2015-1…

          Found one reported by a Japanese
          http://apjjf.org/-Tsuneishi-Keiichi/2194/article.html

          Plenty of evidence and RECORDS (which you said DON'T exist) from 5 min google-fu to prove beyond reasonable doubt on the significance of the war crime committed.

        • [Deactivated] on 31/01/2017 - 13:43
          -3

          @Speedz:

          Good for you dude, but I'd recommend putting a similar level of effort into finding & posting bargains, not trying to brow-beat others into compliance with your perspective on history.

        • Speedz on 31/01/2017 - 14:00

          @Sir Casm:

          My perspective on history? WTF is that suppose to mean you the one who actually dispute the atrocities committed during the war, sure what's next from you holocaust only killed a couple of hundred people?

          What a ignorant world we live in.

        • Speedz on 31/01/2017 - 14:38

          @Sir Casm:

          At the very least I don't deny history and I've cited all legitimate source which you disputed as don't exist, if you want to have a go at me by all means do so. I will be even more impress if you have a laugh at me in person since you and both reside in Brisbane.

        • StewBalls on 31/01/2017 - 15:15

          @Speedz: No, let's be clear about this, I'm being a good community member…alluding to threats of physical violence against another member over a minor disagreement is childish & cowardly.

          You just need to grow up…

        • Speedz on 31/01/2017 - 15:17

          @StewBalls:

          Thank you for reminder and your contribution to this website then.

        • Moderatorneil on 31/01/2017 - 15:57

          @StewBalls:

          This.

          Speedz, No need to threaten others. Discussion is fine but let's keep discussion respectful. See my recent post.

      • Thatbargainhunter on 30/01/2017 - 23:20
        +2

        It's a very very interesting museum and I'm not a museum guy.

        A similar museum which I have heard is fantastic has recently opened in Shenyang.

      • StewBalls on 31/01/2017 - 09:10
        +1

        If you're worried about appropriately sombre museums, you might want to steer clear of places like Pearl Harbour & Ground Zero memorials too, just FYI…

        • [Deactivated] on 31/01/2017 - 11:10
          +1

          Thanks for the heads up!

    • belongsinforums on 30/01/2017 - 23:05
      -1

      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/30/man-killed-tiger-…

      belongsinforums on 30/01/2017 - 23:05 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
    • Thatbargainhunter on 30/01/2017 - 23:23
      +1

      Harbin is my favourite big city in China and I haven't been to the ice festival. It is a very interesting place.

      But skip the tiger park.

    • Foma2 on 31/01/2017 - 07:11
      +4

      Good overview with a single thing to be amended : "Communist Russian architecture" is actually is Russian Imperial architecture.
      Before 1917, Harbin was the main "Russian" town in China where headquaters of Chinese Eastern Railway were based.
      After 1917 Harbin became one of three biggest centres of Russian "white" emigration (along with Berlin and Paris).
      90% of Russians who arrived in Australia in 1960s (when "cultural revolution" happened in China) are from Harbin and small towns and viligies located nearby.

      • Speedz on 31/01/2017 - 08:55

        Hey don't spoil the narrative!

    • [Deactivated] on 31/01/2017 - 09:01
      +1

      Re:the Unit 731 Chemical Warfare Museum

      Any nazi Germany's war crimes can't compete with Unit 731. I can't believe more than 80% of Japanese gov ministers are still visiting Yasukuni war shrine that includes the names of convicted unit 731 war criminals.

      • Foma2 on 31/01/2017 - 12:20
        +2

        It will be fixed.
        ps I am not a Chinese but I hate double standards. War criminals must be punished. Full stop.

  • GnarlyKnuckles on 30/01/2017 - 21:59
    -8

    Erm… wow.

    "… the Unit 731 Chemical Warfare Museum"

    and

    "… you can purchase live animals to feed to the tigers"

    Call me crazy/simple/enlightened, but this sounds like the most backward/terrible/warped place on earth to me…

    • hugh on 30/01/2017 - 22:05
      +11

      “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

      Mark Twain. ;)

        • [Deactivated] on 30/01/2017 - 22:45
          +3

          You have got it all wrong - it's not an arena spectacle where live animals are dropped into a pit to be shredded in front of a baying crowd. There is/was (I visited in 08, it may have changed since) the opportunity to purchase some animals to feed the tigers, from chickens/ducks on the lower end right up to a whole cow. Given that this is a charity organisation with huge costs for feeding the animals, I consider it an innovative way to encourage donations. Live feeding is no different from what occurs in nature, therefore I do not see the problem with it, and contrary to what you suggest, tigers are very efficient at killing things (the ducks I "donated" didn't last very long).

          Anyway, we digress, Harbin is a great place to visit, and the tiger sanctuary is a must-see, even if you don't buy a live animal to feed the residents.

        • hugh on 30/01/2017 - 23:03

          Firstly let me say that I don't mean to denigrate your views as I can see where you are coming from and I have to say that I also agree with what you are saying but there will come a day when you will realise that the universe does not revolve around you or I or any one thing.

          Once you embrace this fact then everything will appear completely different and you will be able to see things as they truely are, neither bad or good but contributors to the circle of life…but first you must lose your sense of self.

          The only thing that you have complete control over is yourself and if you don't choose to participate in acts promoting animal cruelty then you should rightfully be proud of yourself.

          Take care, :)

        • Thatbargainhunter on 30/01/2017 - 23:22
          +1

          You must have went to a different place. Because to me it was a complete spectacle with little concern for animal welfare.

        • GnarlyKnuckles on 31/01/2017 - 14:04
          -2

          @Sir Casm:

          '… tigers are very efficient at killing things (the ducks I "donated" didn't last very long).'

          Maybe in the wild they are. Here's a link to a video of a tiger eating (not killing, just eating) a cow at the Harbin Tiger Sanctuary. The tiger just gnaws away at it slowly, and evidently feels no need to actually kill it first (unlike in the wild, where there is a need, for various reasons).

          Watch this video, then tell me if you still believe that 'Live feeding is no different from what occurs in nature'.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX1FR3ZK6lQ

        • [Deactivated] on 31/01/2017 - 14:41

          @GnarlyKnuckles:

          I can't speak for every tiger they house there, maybe some are sadistic vicious killers, but if you're too soft to confront the realities of nature i.e. living & dying, maybe you should go and sulk with that other guy who is whining about the chemical weapons museum. Let it go already!

        • GnarlyKnuckles on 31/01/2017 - 23:47
          -1

          @Sir Casm:
          You have clearly completely missed the point re the difference between 'the realities of nature' and feeding one live domestic animal to another. The two situations are worlds apart. Watch the video, and post your thoughts on it here. I'd be interested to hear them.

    • ryu on 31/01/2017 - 07:38
      +6

      I find it ridiculously hypocritical to call a Museum experience which has the real history on display backward or warped, other than the history itself and people who made the history. I understand you would like Nazi Germany and Auschwitz Concentration Camp have never existed. But I believe the better way to protect our children is to tell them the history as it was and make sure the terrible part of history won't repeat itself, not create a bubble world to put them in.

      • Speedz on 31/01/2017 - 14:56
        +2

        Have a read on some of the comments here really annoys me.

        Some random troll wrote 'victors writes history'. How many people lost their lives in conventional warfare and human experimentation or racial extermination during the war in Europe and Asia. Disputing Unit 731's crime is like denying holocaust never happened.

  • [Deactivated] on 30/01/2017 - 22:59
    +3

    They just showed Anthony Bourdain freezing in Harbin this weekend. Pack for -40 to -25c :)

    • [Deactivated] on 30/01/2017 - 23:13
      +2

      Can confirm, it gets sufficiently cold that my camera / phone would stop working after a few minutes of exposure to the outside air.

    • StewBalls on 31/01/2017 - 14:39
      +2

      I'd pay good money to feed Bourdain to the tigers… :P

  • ippy on 30/01/2017 - 23:23
    +2

    Wow $307 is so cheap but those are really long stopovers. Not much time to do anything in Xi'an (no way you can see the Terracotta warriors) and far too much time in Changsha. For Xi'an you have to rely on an airport bus to take you to Xi'an railway station (where you will take the subway into town - all up takes about an hour) or spots that aren't very convenient. Xi'an muslim quarter was really good for food.

    I didn't like Changsha, it was the only place in my 10 day trip where I got yelled at by people for being slow at communicating. I believe this won't be an issue if you do not look Chinese. I don't think they deal with many foreigners to be fair. Also there isn't much to do in Changsha.

    Hainan airlines - not sure why it's rated so highly, there's really not much to say about them except that the FAs were nicer than the FAs on Air China. Food was shit but to be expected. In flight entertainment is very shit for an airline rated so highly - very poor selection. On my Changsha -> SYD leg we were given some shit Android tablets with around 10 movies on them, 5 in Eng and 5 in Chinese. I would fly them again if the price was right and if it wasn't too long of a journey… Air NZ (ranked 17) is def better than Hainan Airlines.

    • Thatbargainhunter on 30/01/2017 - 23:36

      There is a bus to Longhai hotel within the city walls.

      But agreed there is no time for the terracotta warriors.

  • Tasmaniac on 30/01/2017 - 23:25

    Crazy cheap, seems like a very democratic spot.

  • Phoebus on 30/01/2017 - 23:31
    +2

    Don't forget to visit Unit 731

    • malouphix on 31/01/2017 - 00:46
      +1

      WOW
      Researchers were given immunity to war crimes as the USA wanted the data of their testing. Soviets tried some for war crimes.
      Don't read the wiki if you don't want to be depressed. It's really (profanity) up.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731

      • Thatbargainhunter on 31/01/2017 - 01:24
        +3

        Yep. The museum is fantastic and it's free too.

        Yes it serves a political purpose, but it is pretty historically accurate.

        If you go all the way to Harbin. I do recommend exploring all of the dongbei. Ji'an on the DPRK border is wonderful and one of my favourite places in all China - even if hard to get to. The puppet emperor's palace in Changchun is very interesting. The tombs in Shenyang are way less touristy and more rewarding than those in Beijing. likewise the imperial palace in Shenyang is more enjoyable than the one in Beijing.

        • Speedz on 31/01/2017 - 16:52
          +1

          Love Shenyang except it doesn't snow as much as its used to, though I haven't been back for 5 years. Miss the food, culture, people but not the winter smog!

        • malouphix on 01/02/2017 - 10:25

          Thanks. I'll add it to my list. Very interesting.

          I'd say the air might be cleaner than Beijing too, depends if they have coal power stations nearby.

        • Thatbargainhunter on 01/02/2017 - 12:10
          +1

          @malouphix:

          Not that much cleaner than Beijing. Do go to the Qing tombs. Fuling is the best and better than the Beijing ones.

          Do go here to the new allied POW museum.

          https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Review-g297454-d71…

        • malouphix on 01/02/2017 - 12:36

          @sambutler9876: Nice, thanks!

      • Foma2 on 31/01/2017 - 07:24
        +4

        Yeap, Nazi have been hung up by hundreds for doing something similar (or even less cruel).
        Japs managed to get away.
        The only ones which have been prosecuted are the ones which had been captured by Russians.
        Russians considered killing Chinese people as a crime, Americans did not.

        • Phoebus on 31/01/2017 - 10:38
          +1

          that's because the Chinese are considered by Japanese and the west to be just 丸太 (maruta)

        • Foma2 on 31/01/2017 - 12:21
          +1

          I know this.
          It is still the case.
          It will be fixed.

        • Michael1983 on 31/01/2017 - 12:49
          +1

          Russian and Chinese are brothers forever,
          Growing stronger unity of the peoples and races.
          Shoulders squared simple man,
          With the song walks simple man,
          Stalin and Mao hear us …

          haha… that's the song from 1949

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFR_GsEApJo

        • malouphix on 01/02/2017 - 10:26

          @Michael1983: :)

  • [Deactivated] on 30/01/2017 - 23:42

    Hainanese Air any good?

    • Thatbargainhunter on 30/01/2017 - 23:44
      +1

      Domestically, I've found they are the best Chinese airline. Never flown internationally with them.

  • veritas_mendax on 30/01/2017 - 23:51
    +1

    I just read up about Harbin on the Wikipedia page - very interesting place with a lot of history. Thanks OP

  • bemybubble on 31/01/2017 - 06:50

    Has anyone ever booked through best jet??

  • Hsinking on 31/01/2017 - 07:14

    Harbin is the capital city of Hei Longjiang Province, the northest province of China,if you plan a tour there don't forget to try some local food and snacks, Wuchang rice from Hei longjiang Province is considered the best rice in China, if you like eating rice do buy some.

  • StewBalls on 31/01/2017 - 08:23
    +1

    Harbin is a beautiful, diverse city with a rich history & welcoming people, great food & beer; easily one of my favourite places in China.

  • dealman on 31/01/2017 - 08:58
    +2

    Are Australians the most travelled people on the planet? Or is this forum especially full of Travellers..

    Amazing cheap deal and great comments about the place.

    Love this forum

  • Bellpop on 31/01/2017 - 11:25

    Thanks for sharing. Wish i had time off work.

  • Michael1983 on 31/01/2017 - 11:59

    Do you need a visa to travel in mainland China?

    • StewBalls on 31/01/2017 - 12:16
      +1

      Yes, you do.

      • minicat on 31/01/2017 - 13:21

        And it is quite expensive.

        • StewBalls on 31/01/2017 - 15:00

          Yep, on par with an Aussie visa, so yes, expensive. Check out the first comment in this thread for a good cost matrix for the options: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/288584

          On the positive side, it's slightly easier to get now than it was a decade ago, I remember having no option but to front up for an face to face in Camperdown! No mail-in option back then! ;)

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