Heilongjiang

Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China. It is the northernmost and easternmost province of the country. It contains China's northernmost point in Mohe City along the Amur River, and its easternmost point at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri rivers.

The province is bordered by Jilin to the south and Inner Mongolia to the west. It also shares a border with Russia to the north and east. The capital and largest city is Harbin.

Heilongjiang is the sixth-largest province by area, the 20th-most populous, and the second-poorest by wealth per person after Gansu province. The province gets its name from the Amur River, which forms the border between the People's Republic of China and Russia.

Heilongjiang produces a lot of food, timber, oil, and coal, making it an important place for resources and farming.

Etymology

The name of Heilongjiang comes from the Amur River. In Mandarin Chinese, this river is called Heilongjiang, which means "black dragon river". The Amur River gives the province its special name.

History

Ancient records show that Heilongjiang was home to groups like the Sushen, Buyeo, the Mohe, and the Khitan. The area was later ruled by the Bohai Kingdom and then the Liao dynasty. The Jurchen people established the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) in this region.

Heilongjiang became an official province in 1683 during the Qing dynasty. Originally, it only covered the western part of today’s province. Over time, its borders changed, especially after treaties with Russia in 1858 and 1860. By the early 1900s, most people in the area were Han Chinese. In 1931, Japan invaded Heilongjiang, and it became part of a state controlled by Japan. After World War II, the region was taken over by communist forces during the Chinese Civil War. In 1954, two provinces merged to form the modern Heilongjiang.

Geography

Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China with many different landscapes. It has several mountain ranges, such as the Greater Khingan Range and Lesser Khingan Range. The tallest mountain is Datudingzi Mountain, which stands at 1,690 metres (5,540 ft) tall, on the border with Jilin.

The eastern and southwestern parts of Heilongjiang are flatter and have rivers like the Muling River, the Naoli River, the Songhua River, the Nen River, and the Mudan River. These rivers all flow into a larger river called the Amur. There is also a big lake named Xingkai Lake or Khanka Lake on the border with Russia.

The climate in Heilongjiang is mostly humid continental, meaning it has very cold winters and warm summers. Winter temperatures can drop to between −31 to −15 °C (−24 to 5 °F), while summer temperatures are usually between 18 to 23 °C (64 to 73 °F). Most of the rain falls in the summer. The area also has plenty of wind, especially in the spring.

The largest cities in Heilongjiang include Harbin, Qiqihar, Mudanjiang, Jiamusi, Daqing, Jixi, Shuangyashan, Hegang, Qitaihe, Yichun, and Heihe.

Transport

Roads

Heilongjiang has a large network of roads, with 165,989 kilometers as of October 2020. The Beijing – Harbin Expressway is a major road that starts at the border with Jilin and ends in Harbin. The Harbin – Tongjiang Expressway runs northeast, connecting many towns. The Suifenhe – Manzhouli Expressway links important cities like Mudanjiang, Harbin, Daqing, and Qiqihar.

Railways

The province has 60 railway lines, totaling around 5,300 kilometers. The Harbin–Dalian high-speed railway, finished in 2012, goes from Harbin to Dalian, passing through Changchun and Shenyang. It will carry many passengers each year.

Airports

Important airports include Harbin Taiping International Airport, Qiqihar Airport, Mudanjiang Airport, Jiamusi Airport, and Heihe Airport. Harbin International Airport can handle six million passengers a year and flies to many cities.

Waterways

Tongjiang-Nizhneleninskoye railway bridge

Main article: Tongjiang-Nizhneleninskoye railway bridge

The Tongjiang-Nizhneleninskoye railway bridge was suggested in 2007 to connect Tongjiang, China, with Nizhneleninskoye in Russia. The Chinese side of the bridge was finished in July 2016, and work on the Russian side started in December 2016. The bridge was nearly done by March 2019, but opening dates keep changing.

Administrative divisions

Heilongjiang has 13 main areas called prefecture-level divisions. These include places like Qiqihar, Mudanjiang, Daqing, and Jixi. Each of these areas is further divided into smaller parts, called county-level divisions. There are 128 of these smaller parts, which include districts, cities, counties, and one special autonomous county. These smaller parts are then split even more into tiny neighborhoods and communities, known as township-level divisions. There are 1,284 of these tiny areas.

Politics

Further information: List of provincial leaders of the People's Republic of China

Heilongjiang, like other areas in mainland China, has a system where the government and the party work together. The leader of the party in Heilongjiang is more powerful than the governor. The party makes important decisions and guides the work of the government in the area.

Economy

In 2022, Heilongjiang's economy was worth 1.59 trillion RMB, which is about $236 billion. The main parts of the economy were farming, making things, and services.

Heilongjiang grows a lot of important crops like rice, corn, and soybeans. The soil here is very rich and black, which helps plants grow well. The province also has many forests with trees like pine and larch. Animals such as the Siberian tiger and red-crowned crane live in these forest areas.

Industry in Heilongjiang includes making things from coal and petroleum, as well as machinery and food products. The Daqing oilfields are a big source of petroleum for the whole country. The province also has lots of wind that could be used to make electricity.

Demographics

By the end of 2022, Heilongjiang Province had about 31 million people living there. This was a small decrease from the year before. About two-thirds of the people lived in cities, while one-third lived in the countryside.

The number of young children (ages 0–14) was small, and a large part of the population was older, aged 65 and above. This shows that many people in Heilongjiang are getting older.

Ethnic groups

The majority of people in Heilongjiang are Han Chinese. There are also many ethnic minorities, such as the Manchus, Koreans, Mongols, Hui, Xibe, and Hezhen.

Most people in Heilongjiang are Han Chinese, many of whom came from Shandong and Hebei a long time ago. The province recognizes ten different ethnic groups. The Han Chinese make up almost all of the population, with ethnic minorities making up a small part.

Religion

Further information: Religion in Northeast China

Most people in Heilongjiang do not follow a specific religion or practice Chinese folk religions, such as Taoism. Many Manchu people practice Manchu shamanism. Chinese Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism are also followed by some in the area.

Culture

Heilongjiang's culture is part of the culture of Northeast China, a region known in Mandarin Chinese as "Dongbei" (the northeast). This culture is quite similar across the whole area.

Media

Heilongjiang Television and Harbin Economy Radio are the main broadcasters in the area.

Tourism

Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang, is a place where you can see many different cultures come together. You can visit Bukui Mosque, which is a big building made with glazed tiles and is very important to many people. The city also has churches and a place for Jewish worship.

During the long, cold winter, Harbin holds a famous event where huge ice sculptures are shown. In 2007, the 8th Ice and Snow World opened, displaying over 2,000 ice sculptures.

There are also beautiful lakes to explore, like the Wudalianchi Lakes, formed by a volcano many years ago. Lake Jingbo, part of the Mudan River, has interesting sights such as the Diaoshuilou Falls. The province also has a zoo called the Harbin Siberian Tiger Park.

Colleges and universities

See also: List of universities and colleges in Heilongjiang

Here are some of the universities and colleges you can find in Heilongjiang:

• Daqing Staff and Workers University
• Harbin Institute of Technology
• Harbin Engineering University
• Harbin Medical University
• Harbin Normal University
• Harbin University of Science and Technology
• Heilongjiang August First Land Reclamation University
• Heilongjiang Commercial University
• Heilongjiang University
• Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine
• Heilongjiang International University
• Heilongjiang Institute of Technology
• Northeast Agricultural University
• Northeast Forestry University
• Northeast Petroleum University
• Qiqihar University

Sports

Heilongjiang is a leader in helping China enjoy winter sports. The area works hard to grow sports that need snow and ice, like bandy, which is a sport that might become an Olympic sport one day.

The province has hosted special sports events, such as the 2009 Winter Universiade, the 2018 Bandy World Championship, Division B, and the Asia League Ice Hockey.

Notable people

Heilongjiang is home to many talented people. Some well-known individuals from this area include Mao Buyi, a singer-songwriter, and Meng Nan, also a singer-songwriter. Ningning is a singer who is part of the K-pop girl group Aespa. Other notable people are Song Yadong, a UFC Fighter, Wang Manyu, a Chinese table tennis player, and Zhang Shan Qi, a racing driver.