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North East China (东北; dōng​běi​; formerly known as Manchuria). The largest ethnic groups are Han, Manchu and Korean.

[edit] Regions

• Heilongjiang Province — fierce winters with snow and ice festivals and characteristic Russian buildings
• Jilin Province — winter resorts, nature preserves and imperial palace of the last emperor
• Liaoning Province — coastal cities, water cave and imperial palace

[edit] Cities

• Anshan (鞍山; Ānshān), Liaoning Province — a heavy industry area but contains Qianshan National Park and other major tourist sites.
• Changchun, Jilin Province — former Manchukuo State capital
• Dalian, Liaoning Province — beautiful port city, once a Russian naval base
• Harbin, Heilongjiang Province — Russian-influenced architecture, winter festival
• Jilin City (吉林; Jílín), Jilin Province — home of the Rimmed Trees of Jilin, one of the four major natural wonders of China
• Shenyang, Liaoning Province — former Manchu capital

[edit] Other destinations

• Benxi Shuidong National Park (Liaoning Province) — river in a cavern
• Changbaishan National Nature Reserve (Jilin Province) — home to Heaven Lake
• Jingpohu National Forest Park (Heilongjiang Province) — nickname of Mirror Lake
• Qianshan National Park (Liaoning Province) — nicknamed the Treasure Pearl of North China
• Wudalianchi National Forest Park (Heilongjiang Province) — nature reserve and health spa destination
• Xianghai National Nature Reserve— over 100 swamps and a wide range of wildlife

[edit] Understand

Even if the Chinese understand that there is civilization beyond the Great Wall, most tourists do not. The lands to the northeast of Beijing represent the least traveled and most challenging regions of China.

[edit] History

North East was the birthplace of the Manchus, China's last dynastic rulers. Because the region was declared off limits to Han Chinese from 1644, when the first Qing emperor sat on the throne, till the dynasty started losing power in the late 1800's, the region has had a mysterious quality separate from the rest of China itself.

The loose hold China had on the region slipped when Russia and Japan waged several major battles over control of North East in the early 1900's. China regained control of the region when Japan lost the second World War. With infrastructure already in place from its former masters, Russia and Japan, the Chinese government made North East the center of the efforts they were starting to help bring China into the international era.

[edit] Geography

For most Chinese, North East probably brings to mind images of factory workers with bright smiles and a cheery attitude instead of wild men riding on horseback from an earlier age. Despite the industrial buildup, North East can claim China's largest natural forest area, its most uncontaminated grassland area, and one of its most spiritual lakes (Tian Chi).

[edit] Tourism

The region is trying for a makeover since the industrialization of the region is falling apart. It is not known as the rust belt without just cause. Tourism, it is hoped, will help pump money back into the region and keep the local economies afloat. North East is still difficult to visit but, because it is not as hyped as other parts of China, is still fresh and free of the tourism problems of other parts of China.

[edit] Talk

As anywhere in China, Mandarin is the lingua franca; nearly everyone can speak it. There are substantial groups whose first language is Korean, Manchu or Mongolian, and Russian is fairly common as a second language. As elsewhere in China, English is not widespread but some people speak it quite well.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By air

[edit] International

There are international airports at

• Dalian, Liaoning Province - international flights from Tokyo and a number of other Japanese cities, Seoul, Frankfurt, Munich, Paris, London, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Delhi, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Melbourne and Sydney. Domestic fligths from most major cities.
• Changchun, Jilin Province - international flights from Tokyo and a few other Japanese cities as well as Seoul. Domestic flights only from the largest cities in the country.
• Harbin, Heilongjiang Province - international flights from Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Niigata, Seoul and Los Angeles. Domestic flights from a number of cities throughout the country.
• Shenyang, Liaoning Province - international flights from Seoul, Cheongju, Pyongyang, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Osaka and Tokyo. Domestic flights from most major cities.

[edit] Domestic

There are domestic airports at

• Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province
• Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province
• Dandong, Liaoning Province
• Jilin, Jilin Province
• Yanji, Jilin Province

[edit] By train

Rail service is extensive throughout the region but when you get off the main lines it slows down considerably. The major problem is that since the northeast is connected with the rest of China by a few main lines, long-distance tickets to other places in China past this bottleneck are few and far between, especially sleeper tickets.

The three province capitals of Harbin, Changchun and Shenyang can be reached by direct train from most major cities in the country, only from distant places will a shift of trains in eg Beijing be needed. Other cities in the region has connections from Beijing but not too much from other places.

Northeast China can be entered from Russia via the train from Vladivostok to Harbin. This is a very slow train doing the not very long journey in 35 hours. This train is not much used, you will have to wait long hours in strange places, and crossing the border is a mess. Another option from Russia is there more well-travelled route from Irkutsk to Harbin. It is also possible to go by train from North Korea to the region.

[edit] By bus

Extensive and fairly reliable, can take a lot of time and be very crowded.

[edit] Get around

[edit][add listing] See

[edit] Landmarks and buildings

• Russian buildings — most prominent in Harbin shows the strong Russian influence in the area.

• Goguryeo Ancient sites — the remains of the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo. The Goguryeo are credited as the ancestors of the Korean people. These sites include including Wunu Mountain City, Guonei City and Wandu Mountain City; fourteen imperial tombs; twenty-six noble tombs; a General's Tomb; and the monument to the nineteenth Emperor of the Koguryo Kingdom, which are now UNESCO World Heritage Site. Most of these are around Tonghua.

• Puppet Emperor's Palace (偽皇宮 Wei Huang Gong) — the former residence of Puyi, the last emperor of China and the Puppet Emperor of Manchuco on behalf of the Japanese. In the north east of Changchun.

• Great Wall of China — goes through the area. There are two interesting restored portions at Hushan near Dandong and at Jiumenkou 18km east of The First Pass Under Heaven at Shanhaiguan near the city of Huludao.

• Religious structures — famous in the area include Fengguo Temple in Yixian, which possesses the largest single-floor wooden hall in China, Guangji Temple in Jinzhou and Yongfeng Pagoda in Dalian.

• Ancient cities — remains in the area include Tayingzi Ancient City in Fuxin or Shenyang and Ruins of Gaoli City in Yingkou.

[edit] Parks and nature

• Siberian Tiger Preserve — in the outskirts of Harbin is home to hundreds of tigers and is a must see.

• Zhaolin Park — in Harbin is home to the city's famous ice sculptures in the winter.

• Longtou Mountain — these hills contain ancient Tombs including the Mausoleum of Princess Zhenxiao and royal tombs of the Balhae kingdom. It is in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture.

• Rimmed Trees of Jilin — the trees are extolled as one of the four major natural wonders of China along with the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, the landscape of Jilin and the Stone Forest of Yunnan.

• Mountains — there are a number worth a visit in the area, including Bijias Mountain in Jinzhou, Yiwulu Mountain in Fuxin, Longshou Mountain in Tieling, Tiesha Mountain in Benxi and Dagu Mountain in Dalian.

[edit] Museums and exhibitions

• Heilongjiang Provincial Museum — in Harbin is not great but big

• Meteorite Museum — in 1976, Jilin was hit by a heavy Meteorite storm. Many of the stones were collected and placed into this museum. The largest stone weighs 1,775kg and is thought to be the largest Meteorite in existence to date.

• Imperial Palace or Forbidden city in Shenyang — a UNESCO world heritage site along with its bigger cousin in Beijing. The Shenyang palace rivals that of Beijing in its beauty and distinctive Manchurian architectural styles.

• Tombs — Beiling is the North Tomb and Dongling is the East Tomb both in Shenyang, two of the three tombs north of the Great Wall and UNESCO world heritage sites.

[edit][add listing] Do

• Festivals — Harbin International Snow and Ice Festivals (from 5 January until warm weather) are the main events in the region and worth planning for if you can stand the cold. Harbin is also home to a beer festival (late August) and a music festival (every two years, next one in 2010). There are also a Ice Lantern Festival in Jilin and a Ice and Snow Festival in Shenyang.

• Theaters and concert halls — one place to look for these kinds of cultural events is in Zhongshan district in Dalian.

• Skiing — there are a number of skiing resorts in the region, one of the best is in Wofoshan near Jiamusiand some found around Shenyang

• Heilongjiang River — cruises on the river from Mohe and Heihe. Mohe has the best Aurora Borealis viewing in winter. It is also possible to take a swim in the river.

• Benxi Water Cave — cruise through the cave in Benxi Shuidong National Park near Benxi city. This is the largest water filled cavern in Asia. You can also raft down the nearby river.

• River Rafting — if you are into this kind of thrilling sports, go to Fushun for Honghu Red River Canyon Rafting or Su River Rafting.

• Beaches — the province does have some good ones including Xingcheng Beach in Huludao, Jinshi Beach in Dalian, Dalian Beach in Dalian and Dalian Beach-Lushunkou in Dalian.

• Hot springs — are found around the region, eg in Anshan.

[edit][add listing] Eat

• Fruits of Liaoning - Liaoning's fruits include apples from Dalian and Yingkuo, golden peaches from Dalian, pears from Beizhen District of Jinzhou, white pears from Huludao and Suizhou, and apricots and plums from Gushan District of Dandong.

• Sea Delicacies of Liaoning - The sea off Dalian abounds with quality seafood, such as abalones, sea cucumbers, scallops, prawns, crabs and sea urchins. The big fish of Dandong, the jellyfish of Yingkou and the clams of Panjin are known worldwide for their freshness and great tastes.

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit] Stay safe

[edit] Get out