Heihe

Submitted by editor on Sun, 03/28/2010 - 16:46

Heihe

Heihe
黑河
—  Prefecture-level city  —
黑河市
Heihe (red) in Heilongjiang province (orange) and China
Coordinates: 50°14′42″N 127°28′54″E / 50.245°N 127.48167°E / 50.245; 127.48167Coordinates: 50°14′42″N 127°28′54″E / 50.245°N 127.48167°E / 50.245; 127.48167
Country China
Province Heilongjiang
Area
 - Total 21,000.1 sq mi (54,390 km2)
Population (2000)
 - Total 1,671,811
Time zone China standard time (UTC+8)

Heihe (Chinese: 黑河; pinyin: Hēihé; "Black River") is a city in Heilongjiang, China.

It is located at 50°14′42″N 127°28′54″E / 50.245°N 127.48167°E / 50.245; 127.48167, on the Russian border, on the south bank of the Amur River, across the river from the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk. Heihe has a population of about 113,000.

Heihe marks the northeast terminus of the Heihe-Tengchong Line.

Contents

History

Main article: Aigun

The predecessor of today's Heihe was the town established in 1683 some 30 km south of the modern city site (in today's Aihui District) and was known as Aigun, Heilongjiang, or Saghalien Ula. (The two last names both mean "the Black Dragon River" - the name for the Amur River in Chinese and Manchu, respectively). From 1683 to 1690 Aigun was the capital (the seat of the Military Governor) of Heilongjiang Province.

Geography

Further information: Heihe-Tengchong Line

Economy

Today Heihe, which forms a free-trade zone with Blagoveshchensk, is a major centre of Sino-Russian trade. Many Russians and Chinese take advantage of visa-free travel between the cities, which has spurred large unofficial trade between China and Russia. Some inhabitants of Blagoveshchensk have purchased apartments on the Chinese side, as living costs are lower.

Transportation

The transportation to and from Heihe is as follows:

  • Highways
    • China National Highway 202: Heihe-Dalian via Harbin, Jilin and Shenyang
    • Provincial highways: Heihe-Mohe, etc.
  • Railway
  • Waterway
Transportation between Blagoveshchensk and Heihe is by boat in the summer and by bus over the frozen river in the winter; when the ice is too weak to carry buses, the route is operated by hovercrafts.
  • Airways (Heihe Aihui Airport)

Administrative divisions

Heihe mcp.png
# Name Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin Population (2003 est.) Area (km²) Density (/km²)
1 Aihui District 爱辉区 Àihuī Qū 190,000 13,993 14
2 Bei'an City 北安市 Běi'ān Shì 470,000 6,313 74
3 Wudalianchi City 五大连池市 Wǔdàliánchí Shì 360,000 9,800 37
4 Nenjiang County 嫩江县 Nènjiāng Xiàn 500,000 15,360 33
5 Xunke County 逊克县 Xùnkè Xiàn 110,000 17,020 6
6 Sunwu County 孙吴县 Sūnwú Xiàn 100,000 4,454 22

Sister city

See also

  • Heihe-Tengchong Line

  1. ^ The Ancient City of Aigun
  2. ^ Edmonds, Richard Louis (1985). Northern Frontiers of Qing China and Tokugawa Japan: A Comparative Study of Frontier Policy. University of Chicago, Department of Geography; Research Paper No. 213. pp. 115–117. ISBN 0-89065-118-3. 
China–Russia border crossings
Blagoveshchensk | Heihe | Manzhouli | Suifenhe City | Zabaykalsk
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