Heihe is a major transport, trade and economic hub located in the Heilongjiang province of China.
Heihe city on the map of China
Heihe is located in the northeastern part of the province and is surrounded from the north by the Small Khingan mountain range, from the northeast by the Amur River. In the west, the city is separated by the Nenjiang River from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It borders on the cities of Yichun and Suihua in the southeast, Qiqihar in the southwest. Opposite, across the Amur River, is Blagoveshchensk, the administrative center of the Amur Region, with which Heihe is connected by ferry transport.
You can get to the city by plane. Here on the island of Big Heihe there is an operating airport of the same name. It receives regular passenger flights. People get here from Blagoveshchensk on a motor ship that runs across the river from May to October, or from the end of 2019 you can come to Heihe by bus crossing the Amur on a pontoon bridge.
In 2020, in Heihe, the ferry was closed for Chinese New Year from 24 to 26 January. On January 27, the movement was fully resumed.
Tourists who arrived in Heihe, after a short acquaintance with it, continue their journey across China. From the local railway station, there are domestic trains that connect large cities (the closest is Harbin) and small villages.
There are no high-speed trains from Heihe to Harbin. The regular trip will take about 10-12 hours.
Important!Heihe is a visa-free city. Without a Chinese visa, it is prohibited to travel outside of it.
The fine for every day of illegal presence is 500 yuan per day.
Heihe: population
The city consists of the Aihui administrative region, 2 urban counties (Beian and Wudalianchi) and 3 simple counties.
In 2021, the population of Heihe was 1, 740 million people.
The city's attractions
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Haihe city (China) has great tourism potential. Despite its modest size, there is something for tourists to see.
Amusement park
Ferris wheel towering over the river. Amur, located on the Big Heihe Island and is the main attraction of the Heihe amusement park. The object itself is still in the process of development and has not acquired its final appearance. Its territory, which is 4 hectares, still has unoccupied areas. But already due to its scale, this park is rightfully considered the second largest in the north of China. Only a similar building in Harbin is ahead of it.
The park starts work at 10:00 am and ends at 17:00. Tickets for each attraction are sold separately, but you can buy a general ticket for the 7 most popular ones. One visit costs 100 yuan.
Note! Tickets are divided into children and adults, while the former are intended only for visitors up to 120 cm tall.
All instructions for attractions are duplicated in Chinese and Russian.
Russian-Chinese park of national traditions
The Russian-Chinese Park of National Traditions is located 9 km west of Heihe. For tourists and residents of neighboring Blagoveshchensk, it is better known as the "Russian Village". Like the previous site, the National Traditions Park is still in the process of being formed. Its entire territory is conditionally divided into 10 districts. Only 4 villages are fully completed, the rest are still being built.
There is a museum of medieval China, a diorama of the life of the ancient people of the Long Zhu village and a large labyrinth, on which visitors will spend at least an hour. But most of all interest is attracted by the "Russian Village". The complex was rebuilt in just 2 months as a set specifically for the filming of the Chinese-Russian version of The Dawns Here Are Quiet.
In the "Russian Village" you can pay attention to the ideas of the Chinese about Russian villages. So, they consider a birch fence and a large number of sunflowers to be their obligatory attributes.
Embankment
The main attraction of the city is the embankment. From here you can see a view of the 800 m across the river Blagoveshchensk and another state.
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Heihe waterfront is decorated with various sculptures.
Longbin Park
To continue your acquaintance with the city and Chinese traditions, it is recommended to look into the Longbin Park. It is located not far from the railway station. There is a lot of greenery here, flower beds add color. Walking here, you can see traditional Chinese architecture in the form of gazebos and other buildings up to monuments.
The park is loved by the residents of Heihe and is always crowded here. During the day, they are elderly people playing board games or playing sports. In the evening, the park turns into a concert venue, where musicians and singers of different genres and ages gather.
Longzhu Ski Lodge
A great option for spending time with children is to go to the Longzhu ski base. The complex is located on Lake Vonyu (which means "Lying Queen"). It has international status with the state level SSS. A large number of foreign guests come here every year for skiing, snowmobiling, tubing and sledding, as well as admire the views of the frozen reservoir.
The base now includes a ski complex, a tourist center and a toboggan run. The first consists of a cable car, a lift, a snow cannon and the track itself, with a total length of 6000 m. There are several categories of difficulty: for children, for beginners, intermediate and advanced.
There is a ski school on the territory of the complex, where everyone will be taught to ski or snowboard.
Shopping
A huge number of tourists from neighboring countries and cities come to Heihe for shopping. China is a country where they like to bargain. Selling cheap, of course, is not profitable for sellers. But if the buyer does not try to lower the price, in their eyes he looks "wrong".
Huafu mall
A popular shopping center among visitors to the city is Huafu. It is known for a wide variety of goods and affordable prices. Their quality is much better here than in many small shops. Almost all signs are duplicated in Russian.
Note! The Huafu shopping center is located on a pedestrian street. From any part of the city you can get here in 10 minutes.
Pedestrianized street
The pedestrian street was opened in 2006. Part of the street, where the main shops, hotels, restaurants of the city are concentrated, was closed from car traffic. This is the most popular tourist destination and is an ideal place to start exploring the city. There are boutiques of famous world brands, western and eastern markets, a center for down jackets and other retail outlets.
In the evening, from about 17-18 hours, the main pedestrian street turns into an evening market - traders set up spontaneous tents here. It is known for its fresh and inexpensive fruit. Despite the fixed prices, buyers can bargain here.
Morning market
On Kultury Street from 5 to 9 in the morning there is a morning market where you can buy almost anything and for a lower price than in a shopping center.
Food in Heihe
In traditional Chinese culture, it is encouraged if the table is bursting with the variety and quantity of dishes. And so that everything fits on the table, it is equipped with a rotating round tray. However, part of the food does not always fit in one tier on it. Then a pyramid of dishes is laid out in several tiers. It's hard to believe it, but all the "layers of the pyramid" are eaten up very quickly.
Like any other city in the PRC, Heihe has a huge number of various restaurants, cafes and small eateries.The latter are attractive because of their low prices. The Celestial Empire is a country with developed agriculture, due to which there are low prices for local food and drinks.
Real Chinese cuisine can only be tasted here. Unfortunately, even in nearby Blagoveshchensk, the dishes prepared by Chinese chefs differ significantly from the original and, as a rule, not for the better.
Due to the large selection of places to dine, it is difficult to decide on what to eat.
There are small private restaurants ("Moscow", "Lena's"), where visitors can count on additional attention from the staff and various bonuses in the form of a couple of bottles of beer or juice. As a rule, there are no more than 5-7 tables here. But when choosing such an establishment, you should know that the range of dishes in such places is much smaller than in large ones.
When the wide choice of dishes and the size of the establishment is important for the visitors, then it is worth paying attention to the restaurants "Xinyu" and "Laguna". But we must remember that there will be much more clients here.
There is also a fast food restaurant "KFC" and a cafe "Maria", which is familiar to Europe. In summer, on the embankment, there are barbecue houses with a decent assortment of various types of meat and seafood.
Note! Newcomers who are first introduced to Chinese dishes will love Chisanchi eggplants, Heihe salad and meat with pineapple. Those who are already familiar with the peculiarities of local cuisine order fish or fried dumplings. There are 8 culinary schools here, thanks to which the range of food here is very diverse.
Transportation in Heihe City
In modern Heihe, roads are built according to the principle - first the roads, then the rest of the buildings. Such a track laying system had a positive effect on the throughput of the highways. This is especially noticeable in the city center.
Tourists who are not familiar with the peculiarities of the PRC traffic should be very careful both while driving and crossing the road.
Important!When crossing a regulated pedestrian crossing, you should be aware of one peculiarity. If the traffic light prohibits the movement of cars, then this applies only to those who are driving straight. It is allowed to turn to the redirection signal in China. Pedestrians will have to accept and be very vigilant when crossing the road to this sign.
The first option for getting around Heihe is a taxi. The standard fare to the city is 10 yuan. But you can find offers for 4-5 yuan. However, when faced with such attractive prices, it is better to negotiate in advance the possible controversial moments of the trip and its cost, otherwise the latter at the final destination may jump to the standard or higher. A safe option is to choose female drivers, and there are a lot of them here.
The most common way of getting around is by bus. The bus route is indicated in Chinese, but on route number 1 - the most popular route among townspeople and tourists, the route is duplicated in Russian. The fare is 1 yuan. Buses run to Heihe (China) from 6:20 to 18:20, the intervals between flights are small, but due to the small capacity of the cars themselves, you will have to endure the tightness in the cabin. Their big plus - at the request of the passenger, the driver can make a stop regardless of the planned ones along the route.
Relatively recently, another type of transport has appeared here - bicycle rental. This is a great opportunity to explore the city beyond the two main streets. All rental bicycles are green, have adjustable seats and have a basket in the front for shopping or just personal items.
Transportation deposit is RMB 300. The first hour of rental costs 15 RMB, 2 hours - 28 RMB, each subsequent hour - 10 RMB.
Heihe Hotels
Due to its proximity to the Russian border, Heihe attracts a large number of tourists. This neighborhood is a great opportunity to spend a weekend in a completely different country, while not spending a lot of time and money to get to your destination. For this reason, local hotels are always in demand. One of them to consider for your stay in Heihe is East Hawaii. The hotel was opened in 2008. It is located close to the city center and main attractions, making it attractive for visiting guests. You can book a room by contacting the hotel directly or through travel agencies and online booking services.
Heihe, which means "Black River" in Manchu, has long become a favorite destination for bordering Russians due to its historical, architectural, natural attractions, as well as affordable shopping and local cuisine. You can get to it by all means of transport, spending a minimum of money and time.
* Prices in the article are valid for February 2020.
