Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province, China

🇨🇳 Qiqihar is the second-largest city in the Heilongjiang province of China, in the west central part of the province. The built-up (or metro) area is made up of Longsha, Tiefeng and Jianhua districts. The population are mainly Han Chinese, though the city is also home to thirty-four minorities including Manchus, Daur, and Mongols.

Close to Qiqihar are numerous wetlands and the Zhalong Nature Reserve, famous in China for being home to numerous red-crowned cranes.

History Qiqihar is one of the oldest cities in the north-east of China. The region was originally settled by nomadic Daur and Tungus herdsmen. "Qiqihar" is a Daur word, which means 'border' or 'natural pasture'. The city's original name was Bukui (卜奎), the Chinese transcription of a Daur word meaning "auspicious". The city's oldest mosque, the Bukui Mosque, predates the foundation of the city by seven years. As the Czarist Russian eastward advance to the Pacific coast, Qiqihar became a major garrison centre in 1674. In 1691, a stronghold was constructed in Qiqihar because of the Qing government's campaigns against the Mongols. Around 1700 it was a centre for Russo-Chinese trade. A military depot with barracks and an arsenal was set up there, and many convicted criminals were exiled to the area. Heilongjiang Martial domiciled in Qiqihar City in 1699. The Qing Dynasty had initially intended to keep the far-northern Heilongjiang province as a semi-pastoral area, separate from the wider Chinese agricultural economy, so it did not allow seasonal urban migrants, such as those from Hebei and Shandong who wished to participate in the Qiqihar fur trade, to own acres and transform the land. After the Russian Empire seized Outer Manchuria according to the unequal treaties the Treaty of Aigun and the Convention of Peking, the Qing made the decision to lift the various restrictions it placed on Northeast China and on Heilongjiang residency in particular, in 1868, 1878, and 1904. It enlisted Han Chinese to help to teach the local Solon people farming techniques, providing materials and tax exemptions to convert them from hunting. In 1903, The completion of the Chinese Eastern Railway made Qiqihar a centre for communications between China and Russia. A network of lines radiating from Qiqihar was extended into the north-western part of Heilongjiang Province including Jiagedaqi and Manzhouli in the late 1920s.

Second Sino-Japanese War In 1931, Japan used a false flag attack, remembered as the September 18 Incident, to justify moving its Guandong Army to capture major cities in Northeast China that month, starting with Shenyang, Changchun, then Jilin City. General Ma Zhanshan was ordered to act as Governor and Military Commander-in-chief of Heilongjiang Province on October 10, 1931. General Ma declined a Japanese ultimatum to surrender Qiqihar on November 15. However, after the loss of Jiangqiao Campaign, the Japanese began their occupation of Qiqihar on November 19, 1931. Liaoning fell in December, and Harbin in February; the puppet Manchukuo government of the Japanese-occupied territory under General Zhang Jinghui established Qiqihar as its administrative centre and of Longjiang province. Qiqihar became a major military base for Guandong Army and its economic importance also grew rapidly. During the occupation, the Imperial Japanese Army established Unit 516 in Qiqihar for research into chemical warfare. A major mustard gas tank left over from the Second Sino-Japanese War buried underground was accidentally damaged in August 2003, causing 43 injuries and one death.

Modern era After the defeat of Japan, the Democratic Regime Qiqihar Municipal Government was established, under the administration of Nenjiang Province. Japanese forces in Northeast China surrendered to the Soviet Union while other Japanese forces in the rest of China surrendered to the United States. From March to May, Soviet troops progressively withdrew from their positions, giving the People's Liberation Army more notice than the National Revolutionary Army so that the former could occupy more positions in the context of the Chinese Civil War. Qiqihar was controlled by the Communists on April 24, 1946, along with other important regional cities like Changchun, Jilin City, and Harbin. Qiqihar was established as the capital of Heilongjiang Province after the foundation of People's Republic of China in 1949. However, since Songjiang Province was merged into Heilongjiang Province, the provincial capital was transferred to Harbin in 1954. During the first five-year plan of China from 1951 to 1956, many factories including Beiman Special Steel Co. and China First Heavy Industries were aid-constructed by the Soviet Union in Fularji District, making Qiqihar an important centre of equipment manufacturing industry in Northeast China. In 1984, Qiqihar was designated to be one of the 13 Larger Municipalities in China by the General Office of the State Council.

Geography Qiqihar City sits on a land area of 42,289 square km at an altitude of 100–500 meters, with an average elevation of 146 meters.

Border Qiqihar is located along the middle and lower reaches of the Nen River and the hinterland of Songnen Plain, which is adjacent to the Greater Khingan Range and Hulunbuir Prairie. Bordering prefecture cities are: • Baicheng, Jilin (S) • Daqing (E) • Heihe (N) • Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia (W) • Suihua (NE) • Hinggan League, Inner Mongolia (W)

The city's metro area is located 359 km (223 mi) from the provincial capital of Harbin, 282 km (175 mi) from Baicheng, 139 km (86 mi) from Daqing, and 328 km (204 mi) from Suihua. The total area under the city's jurisdiction is 42,289 km² (16,328 sq mi). The region's elevation above sea level is generally between 200 m (660 ft) and 500 m (1,600 ft).

Subdivisions 1 Longsha District, 龙沙区; 2 Jianhua District, 建华区; 3 Tiefeng District, 铁锋区; 4 Ang'angxi District, 昂昂溪区; 5 Fularji District, 富拉尔基区; 6 Nianzishan District, 碾子山区; 7 Meilisi Daur District, 梅里斯达斡尔族区; 8 Nehe City, 讷河市; 9 Longjiang County, 龙江县; 10 Yi'an County, 依安县; 11 Tailai County, 泰来县; 12 Gannan County, 甘南县; 13 Fuyu County, 富裕县; 14 Keshan County, 克山县 K; 15 Kedong County, 克东县; 16 Baiquan County, 拜泉县.

Demographics The population age of 0-14 was 691,722, people aged 15–64 4,238,140 and people aged 65 and older 437,141.

Economy Qiqihar is a heavily industrialised city involved in manufacturing. In 2009, the city's 95 large-scale equipment manufacturing enterprises, with total assets of 30.6 billion yuan, accounting for the city's industrial enterprises above designated size of 46.5% of total assets, the number of employees 5.2 million, accounting for the city's industrial enterprises above the size of 45.6% of the total number of employees. The main business income of 25.57 billion yuan, industrial added value of 8.05 billion yuan, profits of 1.96 billion yuan, 1.03 billion yuan of taxes, respectively, year on year growth of 2.9%, 3%, 19.6% and 22.3%, accounting for the city's industrial enterprises above designated size were 40.6%, 40%, 44.3% and 31.7%, respectively.

Hospitals Qiqihar has 23 hospitals.

Companies Companies conducting business in Qiqihar include RT-Mart, Walmart, GOME Electrical Appliances, and Suning Commerce Group.

Banks Since Qiqihar is a large city, numerous banks work here. Some of the banks include Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and Agricultural Bank of China.

Economy: Tourist Industry Qiqihar is very close to the Zhalong Nature Reserve. Also, there is the Longsha park.

Transport: Air Qiqihar is served by its own domestic airport, Qiqihar Sanjiazi Airport.

Trains Qiqihar is well-connected in terms of railway transportation. Trains from Qiqihar Railway Station connect the city with Harbin, Beijing, Dalian, Hangzhou, Xi'an and several other major cities in China. Qiqihar Sanjiazi Airport, 13 km (8.1 mi) from Qiqihar's downtown area, operates daily flights to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and other major cities in China. In the district of Ang'angxi, the Harbin-Manzhouli Railway intersects with the Qiqihar-Bei'an Railway.

The Harbin–Qiqihar intercity railway opened on 17 August 2015; it provides frequent high-speed service to Harbin, as well as some direct trains to Beijing.

River The Nen River is used to transport material.

Education Numerous schools exist in the city. Four elementary schools feed into 8 city or county high schools. There are two universities: Qiqihar University and its medical school.