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Coordinates: 47°50'N 127°40'E? / ?47.833, 127.667
Heilongjiang (help·info) (simplified Chinese: ????; traditional Chinese: ????; pinyin: Heilóngjiang Sheng; Postal map spelling: Heilungkiang; Manchu: Sahaliyan ula) is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is ? (pinyin: Hei). The Manchu name of the region is Sahaliyan ula (literally, "Black River"), from which the name of Sakhalin island is derived.
Heilongjiang borders Jilin in the south and Inner Mongolia to the west; it also borders Russia to the north.
The Amur River marks the border between the People's Republic of China and Russia to the north. Heilongjiang contains China's northernmost point (in Mohe County along the Amur) and easternmost point (at the junction of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers).
History
In ancient times Heilongjiang was far from any literate civilization, and information was sparse. Chinese and other sources state that Heilongjiang was inhabited by people such as the Xianbei, the Malgal, and the Khitan. The eastern portion of Heilongjiang was ruled by the kingdom of Balhae between the 7th century and 10th century. The Jurchen Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) that subsequently ruled much of north China arose within the borders of modern Heilongjiang.
Under the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the western part of Heilongjiang was under the supervision of the General of Heilongjiang, whose power extended, according to the Treaty of Nerchinsk, as far north as the Stanovoy Mountains; eastern Heilongjiang was under the supervision of the General of Jilin, whose power reached the Sea of Japan. These areas deep in Manchuria were closed off to Han Chinese migration.
However, in 1858 and 1860 the Qing government gave up all land beyond the Amur and Ussuri Rivers to Russia, cutting China off from the Sea of Japan and giving Heilongjiang its present northern borders. At the same time, Manchuria was opened to Han Chinese migration by the Qing government. By the early twentieth century, the Han Chinese had become the dominant ethnic group in the region. In 1932, present-day Heilongjiang became part of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo.
After the Japanese defeat in 1945, Soviet forces entered Manchuria and gave the Chinese communists control over most of the area. Heilongjiang became the first province to be completely controlled by the Chinese communists and Harbin the first major city to be controlled by them. From Manchuria, the communists were able to conduct the initial phases of the Chinese Civil War.
At the beginning of communist rule, Heilongjiang province included only the western portion of the present-day province, and had its capital at Qiqihar. The remaining area was the province of Songjiang; its capital was Harbin. In 1954, these two provinces were merged into present-day Heilongjiang. During the Cultural Revolution Heilongjiang was also expanded to include Hulunbuir League and some other areas previously in Inner Mongolia; this has since mostly been reversed.
Geography
Heilongjiang is a land of varied topography. Much of the province is dominated by mountain ranges such as the Greater Khingan Range and Lesser Khingan Range, Zhangguangcai Mountains, Laoye Mountains, and Wanda Mountains. The highest peak is Mount Datudingzi at 1690 m (5545 ft), located on the border with Jilin province). The Greater Khingan Range contains China's largest remaining virgin forest and is an important area for China's forestry industry.
The interior of the province, which is relatively flat and low in altitude, contains the Songhua River, the Nen River, and the Mudan River, all tributaries of the Amur, while the northern border forms part of the Amur valley. Xingkai Lake (or Khanka Lake) is found on the border with Russia's Primorsky Krai.
Heilongjiang is subarctic in climate. Winters are long and frigid, with an average of -31 to -15°C in January, and summers are short and cool with an average of 18 to 23°C in July. The annual average rainfall is 500 to 600 mm, concentrated mostly in summer.
Major cities:
Administrative divisions
Heilongjiang is divided into thirteen prefecture-level divisions, consisting of twelve prefecture-level cities and one prefecture:
The sub-province-level city:
The prefecture-level cities:
The prefecture:
(About this last prefecture there is information to find at the section Greater Khingan)
The thirteen prefecture-level divisions of Heilongjiang are subdivided into 130 county-level divisions (65 districts, nineteen county-level cities, forty-five counties, and one autonomous county). Those are in turn divided into 1284 township-level divisions (473 towns, 400 townships, 58 ethnic townships, and 353 subdistricts).
See List of administrative divisions of Heilongjiang for a complete list of county-level divisions.
Politics
List of Secretaries of the CPC Heilongjiang Committee:
- Zhang Qilong ???(1949-1950)
- Zhao Dezun ??? (1950-1953)
- Feng Jixin ??? (1953-1954)
- Ou Yangqin ??? (1954-1965)
- Pan Fusheng ??? (1965-1967)
- Wang Jiadao ??? (1971-1974)
- Liu Guangtao ??? (1977)
- Yang Yichen ??? (1977-1983)
- Li Li'an ??? (1983-1985)
- Sun Weiben ??? (1985-1994)
- Yue Qifeng ??? (1994-1997)
- Xu Youfang ??? (1997-2003)
- Song Fatang ??? (2003-2005)
- Qian Yunlu ??? (2005-2008)
- Ji Bingxuan ??? (2008-incumbent)
List of Governors:
- Yu Yifu ??? (1949-1952)
- Zhao Dezun ??? (1952-1953)
- Chen Lei ?? (1953-1954)
- Han Guang ?? (1954-1956)
- Ouyang Qin ??? (1956-1958)
- Li Fanwu ??? (1958-1966)
- Pan Fusheng ??? (1967-1971)
- Wang Jiadao ??? (1971-1974)
- Liu Guangtao ??? (February 1977-December 1977)
- Yang Yichen ???(December 1977-1979)
- Chen Lei ?? (1979-1985)
- Hou Jie ?? (1985-1989)
- Shao Qihui ??? (1989-1994)
- Tian Fengshan ???(1994-2000)
- Song Fatang ??? (2000-2003)
- Zhang Zuoji ??? (2003-December 2007)
- Li Zhanshu ??? (December 2007-incumbent)
Economy
The agriculture of Heilongjiang, heavily defined by its cold climate, is based upon crops such as soybeans, maize, and wheat. Commercial crops grown include beets, flax, and sunflowers.
Heilongjiang is also an important source of lumber for China. Pine, especially the Korean pine and larch are the most important forms of lumber produced in Heilongjiang. Forests are mostly to be found in the Daxingan Mountains and Xiaoxingan Mountains, which are also home to protected animal species such as the Siberian Tiger, the red-crowned crane, and the lynx.
Herding in Heilongjiang is centered upon horse and cattle. Heilongjiang has the greatest number of milk cows and the highest production of milk among all the province-level divisions of China.
Petroleum is of great importance in Heilongjiang, and the Daqing oilfields are an important source of petroleum for China. Coal, gold, and graphite are other important minerals to be found in Heilongjiang. Heilongjiang also has great potential for wind power, with an average wind energy density of 200 watts per square metre.
Heilongjiang is part of northeast China (Manchuria), the traditional base of industry for the People's Republic of China. Industry is focused upon coal, petroleum, lumber, machinery, and food. Due to its location, Heilongjiang is also an important gateway for trade with Russia. In recent years, however, Manchuria has suffered from stagnation. As a result, the government has started the Revitalize Northeast China campaign to deal with this problem, using privatization as the preferred method of economic reform.
At least five miners were killed after a coal mine fire in Heilongjiang it was reported September 21, 2008.[1]
In 2007, Heilongjiang's nominal GDP was 707.72 billion yuan (US$93 billion), an annual growth rate of 12.1%. Its per capita GDP was 18,510 yuan (US$2,434). In 2007, Heilongjiang's primary, secondary, and tertiary industries were worth 89.25 billion yuan, 377.95 billion yuan, and 240.52 billion yuan respectively.[2] The per capita disposable income of urban residents in Heilongjiang reached 10,245 yuan (about US$1,350), a rise of 11.6% from the previous year. The per capita net income of rural residents in the province reached 4,132 yuan (about US$540), a rise of 16.3 from 2006.[3]
Demographics
The majority of Heilongjiang's population is Han Chinese, while other ethnic minorities include the Manchus, Koreans, Mongols, Hui, Daur, Xibe, Oroqin, Hezhen and Russians.
Excludes members of the People's Liberation Army in active service.
Source: Department of Population, Social, Science and Technology Statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics of China (???????????????) and Department of Economic Development of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission of China (??????????????), eds. Tabulation on Nationalities of 2000 Population Census of China («2000?????????????»). 2 vols. Beijing: Nationalities Publishing House (?????), 2003. (ISBN 7-105-05425-5)
Culture
Heilongjiang's culture is part of a culture of Northeast China that is relatively homogeneous across this region, known in Mandarin Chinese as "Dongbei" (the northeast). (See Culture of Manchuria.)
Media
Heilongjiang Television and Harbin Economy Radio serve as broadcasters.
Tourism
Harbin, the provincial capital, is a city of contrasts, with Chinese, Russian, and eclectic worldwide influences clearly apparent. Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant churches dot the city.
The long, cold winter is the backdrop for its famed ice sculpture exhibitions. In 2007 already the 8th Ice and Snow World opened to visitors in Harbin. More than 2000 ice sculptures were on display at the annual event.[4]
Wudalianchi Lakes are a series of five lakes formed between 1719 and 1721 when volcanic eruption shaped one section of a tributary of the Amur into five interconnected lakes. The second lake in particular is renowned for its irregular geological sights.
Jingbo Lake, found in Ning'an County, is a section of the Mudan river that has been narrowed and shaped by volcanic eruption into a series of sights, including the Diaoshuilou Falls.
Colleges and universities
Sports
External links
References
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