Heilongjiang
Heilongjiang (Simplified Chinese: 黑龙江省, Traditional: 黑龍江省, pinyin: Hēilóngjiāng, Postal pinyin: Heilungkiang) 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 黑 (pinyin: Hēi).
Heilongjiang located in Manchuria, also called Northeast China. It borders Jilin in the South and Inner Mongolia to the East; it also borders Russia to the north.
The Amur River marks the border between 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).
| Province Abbreviation(s): 黑 Hēi | |
| Capital | Harbin |
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 6th 469,000 km² xx% |
| Population
- Total (2000) - Density | Ranked 15th
36,890,000 80/km² |
| Administration Type | Province |
| Governor | Zhang Zuoji |
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| Table of contents |
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2 Geography 3 Administrative divisions 4 Economy 5 Demographics 6 Culture 7 Tourism 8 Miscellaneous topics |
In ancient times Heilongjiang was far from any literate civilization, and information was sparse. From Chinese and other sources we learn that Heilongjiang was inhabited by people such as the Xianbei, the Mohe, and the Khitan. The eastern portion of Heilongjiang was ruled by the Mohe kingdom of Bohai between the 7th and 10th centuries. Later on the ethnically Jurchen Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) that went on to rule much of north China had its roots 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 20th 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 Japanese defeat in 1945, Soviet forces entered Manchuria, and gave the Chinese communists control over most of the area. Heilongjiang was the first complete province to be controlled by the Chinese cocmmunists, Harbin the first major city. 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, with capital 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 been mostly reversed.
Heilongjiang is a land of varied topography. Much of the province is dominated by mountain ranges such as the Da Xingan Mountains and Xiao Xingan Mountains (Greater and Lesser Khingan), Zhangguangcai Mountains, Laoye Mountains, and Wanda Mountains. The highest peak is Mount Datudingzi at 1690 m, located on the border with Jilin province.
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.
Lake Xingkai (Lake Khanka) is found on the border with Russia's Primorsky Krai.
Major cities:
Heilongjiang is made up of 12 prefecture-level cities and 1 prefecture:
History
Geography
Administrative divisions
For a complete list of the county-level divisions of Heilongjiang, see List of administrative divisions of Heilongjiang. The administrative divisions of China are explained in greater detail at Political divisions of China.
| Province-level divisions of the People's Republic of China |  | |||||||||||
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