Qiqihar

Understand

Qiqihar was founded as a walled city in 1691, and for a period the military government of Heilongjiang was based here. For many years, only Manchus were allowed to live in the city, but gradually it transformed to be dominated by Hans. Establishment of the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1903 and later other lines made the city a transportation hub. During 1931-1945 it was an important military base for the Japanese occupation, which helped the city grow in size and importance.

The population of the city is 1.5 million and of the prefecture 6.1 million. The city consists of Longsha District (龙沙区), Tiefeng District (铁锋区) and Jianhua District (建华区), whereas the prefecture further includes 4 districts, 8 counties and 1 city.

See

thumb|Red-crowned crane in Zhalong

Do

Not much. But here you can have easier access to train tickets for nicer places in northeastern China because the Qiqihar station is a large transfer hub.

Look at cranes

There is a national park located in the suburbs of Qiqihar. It is a beautiful grassland with marshes here and there. Qiqihar is famous for its cranes. At a specific time each morning, the park authorities let cranes out of their cages to fly and roam around the park. It's a beautiful sight, make sure you get there early enough to be there when they open the gates.

Listen to bird songs in the morning

At the coordinates: 47.308044,123.949783 in the morning around sunrise, a group of gentlemen get together and hang bird cages from trees. The birds sing back and forth to each other, it's truly a beautiful experience. There's a roundabout with a park of sorts in the center of it. There's a large statue in the middle - the guys meet around the statue and hang the cages from the trees inside this roundabout.

Eat

Qiqihar Barbecue. A local delicacy. Qiqihar, the Daur language is "natural pasture", so here is the natural pasture of barbecue, Nenjiang nurtured the green ecology of Qiqihar. Qiqihar barbecue has "learned" from Manchu, Mongolian, Chaoxian, Hui, Daur, Ewenki and other ethnic groups, combined with each other's strengths, and formed its own style.

Drink