Travel Guide to Northeast China: Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang
Northeast China refers to the area formed by the three provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning, and the East Fourth League of Inner Mongolia. However, the Chinese often only call Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning the Northeast, as the people here have similar living habits and cultural customs.
The northeast region sits on China's largest plain, the Northeast Plain, with fertile soil and is an important grain production area in China. It's also an important heavy industry base in China, once occupying 90% of China's heavy industry base. Northeast China is rich in tourism resources: forests, grasslands, wetlands, ice and snow, industrial and agricultural tourism resources are all unique and the ecological environment is superior. It is an important ice and snow tourism and summer vacation destination in China. Follow the below travel guide to get started with your amazing Northeast China tour!
- Interesting things to do in Northeast China
- Top attractions to visit in Northeast China
- Best time to visit Northeast China
- How to get to Northeast China and travel around
- Accommodation and meals in Northeast China
- Recommended tour and itineraries in Northeast China
- Geographical conditions in Northeast China
- Distinguishing features in Northeast China
- Useful travel tips
Interesting things to do in Northeast China
1. Joining Snow and Ice Festivals
Every winter, many northern cities hold ice and snow festivals and activities, the most famous of which are Harbin International Snow and Ice Festivals, Jilin Rime Ice and Snow Festival, Shenyang Qipanshan Ice and Snow Festival in Shenyang.
- The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival is the first international festival in Chinese history with ice and snow activities as the content, which lasts for one month. Together with the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan, the Quebec Winter Carnival in Canada, and the Oslo Ski Festival in Norway, it has become the world's four major ice and snow festivals. Festival activities include winter swimming competitions, ice hockey games, snow football games, alpine skiing tournaments, ice sculpture competitions, ice speed skating games, ice festival poems, ice and snow photography exhibitions, ice and snow film art festivals, ice weddings, etc.
- Jilin Rime Ice and Snow Festival is a grand ice and snow festival held in mid-January every year. There will be an Ice Lanterns Festival, ice and snow games, Water lanterns, fireworks, and colorful boat parades. In addition to watching the colorful ice lanterns, the biggest feature here is the rime. Rime, one of the four natural wonders of China, can only be seen in Jilin every winter.
- Shenyang Qipanshan Ice and Snow World is located in the Qipanshan Scenic Area in the northeast of Shenyang, 17KM away from the urban area with convenient transportation. This ice and snow world is densely forested, undulating mountains, and vast ice areas. The Qipanshan Ice and Snow World has become one of the largest ice and snow tourist attractions with the most abundant projects and the most complete facilities in Northeast China.
2. Skiing
There are five ski resorts in Northeast China that meet all your skiing needs, and you can ski here all year round. They are Yabuli Ski Resorts, Songhua Lake Ski Resort, Wanda Changbai Mountain International Ski Resort, Beidahu Ski Resort.
- There are two Yabuli ski resorts located in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. The locals call them Small Ski Resort and New (also called Xinlinchang) Ski Resort. The Xinlinchang ski resort is famous for its alpine ski resort. As the training ground for the Chinese national teams, there are many large training types of equipment that are not open to tourists.
- Songhua Lake Ski Resort is located in Jilin, which has the best scenery among many ski resorts. If you want to enjoy the beautiful scenery while skiing, then this ski resort is your best choice.
- Changbai Mountain International Ski Resort is located at the foot of Changbai Mountain and is the only way to appreciate the beauty of the northern slope of Changbai Mountain. After experiencing the fun of skiing, you can try the natural hot springs here to relieve fatigue.
- Beidahu Ski Resort is located in Jilin City, Jilin Province. It is the largest ski resort in Asia and the only one in China that has the standards to host the Winter Olympic Games.
3. Experiencing Winter Fishing Activities
In winter, the outdoor temperature in the Northeast can be as low as minus - 20 C°to - 40 C°, so thick ice forms on the lake. The frozen lake in the urban areas will be regarded as a skating resort by the local people. The frozen lake on the outskirts is a very important place for fishing. Instead of fishing rods or nets, the ax is used for fishing. The skill requires experience as it's difficult to know the fish gathering area under the ice surface by just looking at it. Professional fishermen will select an area first, and next dig a few holes with an ax, to know where the fish is.
Winter fishing in Chagan Lake is the most famous in China. Chagan Lake is located in the Mongolian Autonomous County of Qian Gorlos, Songyuan City, Jilin Province. It has also been included in the provincial intangible cultural heritage list of Jilin Province, which has also promoted the tourism industry.
Top attractions to visit in Northeast China
St. Sophia Cathedral and Zhongyang Pedestrian Street: Built-in 1907, the Saint Sophia Cathedral is a landmark building in Harbin, and the green dome is very eye-catching. This church was once the largest Orthodox church in the Far East and is currently the most complete Byzantine building in China. Zhongyang Pedestrian Street, 800 meters away from St. Sophia Cathedral, is Harbin’s most prosperous commercial street. This commercial street with a history of more than 100 years and has many classic European buildings. Every night, the whole street is rendered radiantly illuminated by lights, and it is a must-visit place in Harbin.
Chinese Arctic Village: Also known as the "City that never sleeps", is located in Mohe City, the coldest place in China in winter. Around the summer Solstice, there are almost 24 hours of daylight in a day. This is the best observation point to view the northern lights and polar night in China. The best time to visit here is in summer and winter.
Snow Town (Xuexiang): Located in the southwest of Hailin City, 260KM away from the provincial capital Harbin. Due to the frequent confluence of the cold air of Lake Baikal and the warm and humid air currents of the Sea of Japan in the Snow Town, as well as the influence of the high mountains and dense forests, the snow falls here every October to April. The snow period lasts for 7 months and the thickness of snow can reach about 2 meters. In addition, travelers will find the beautiful villages and experience the local customs in Snow Town.
The Wudalianchi Scenic Area: Located in the north-central part of Heilongjiang province, where there are many wild animals and plants. Wudalianchi is surrounded by 14 volcanic mountains and a series of volcanic mineral springs, which together constitute a unique volcanic landscape. Here is rich in fish resources and wild herbs. Tasting the local specialties is a good experience when traveling here.
Changbai Mountain Scenic Area: Located in Antu County, Jilin Province, adjacent to North Korea in the southeast, Changbai Mountain is a dormant volcano, which formed the current landscape after several eruptions. In addition to the largest crater lake in China, it also has magnificent waterfalls, beautiful Lvyuantan Lake, and quiet valley-bottom forests, which are all of the charms of Changbai Mountain. The best time to visit here is in summer and winter.
Jingyuetan National Scenic Area: Located only 18KM away from the city center, Jingyuetan was the first artificially constructed water source for Changchun in 1934. The forest in the Jingyuetan is artificially constructed and contains a complete forest ecosystem of 30 tree species, the forest coverage rate of the scenic area is over 96%. As the largest artificial forest, mountain, and water-dependent ecological scenic spot in Asia, it has become an ideal place for spring outing, summer vacation, autumn scenery appreciation, winter ice, and snow playing.
Harbin Siberian Tiger Park: Located on the north bank of Songhua River, this is currently the world's largest Siberian tiger wild natural garden, which was built to save and protect the world's endangered species of the Siberian tigers. At present, there are 10 scenic spots such as wild domestication area, adult tiger area, young tiger area, tiger king area, tourists walking area, and tiger viewing platform. More than 100 pure Siberian tigers, 8 white tigers, 1 snow tiger, 2 white lions, 2 liger tigers, 3 black jaguars, and 20 African lions can be seen here.
Panjin Red Beach Scenic Area: Located in the Panjin City of Liaoning Province, to the northeast of Bohai Bay. The red color is due to the large wet areas of Suaeda glauca pondweed. The Red Beach Pier is the only wooden structure built on a mudflat in the world. Autumn in October is the most prosperous time for the growth of Suaeda salsa and the best time to visit the Red Beach, especially at sunset in autumn.
Puppet Emperors’ Palace: Located in Changchun of Jilin, it was built on the site of the Puppet Manchukuo Palace, the palace where the last emperor Aisin Gioro Puyi lived when he was the puppet emperor of the Puppet Manchukuo. It has a large collection of the Puppet Manchukuo palace artifacts, Japanese modern cultural relics, Northeast modern cultural relics, folk cultural relics, modern representative paintings and calligraphy, sculptures, and non-genetic inheritors. Part of the imperial palace has been turned into the Jilin Provincial Museum, exhibiting historical materials of the feudal dynasties established in the northeast such as Goguryeo, Bohai, Liao, and Jin.
The Shenyang Palace Museum: Built-in 1625 and completed in 1636, Shenyang Imperial Palace is not only one of the two remaining imperial palace complexes in China, but also an ancient site with rich historical and cultural connotations. The entire imperial palace is majestic and magnificent, showing the grandeur of the royal family everywhere. The architectural art inherits the ancient Chinese architectural tradition, integrating the architectural arts of the Han, Manchu, and Mongolian nationalities, and has a high historical and artistic value.
Dalian Binhai Road: A scenic sea-view highway that stretches for more than 30 kilometers. There are many famous scenic spots along the way, including Haizhiyun Park, Laohutan Ocean Park, Xinghai Square, and other famous scenic spots in Dalian. Most travelers will take the city tour bus to visit Binhai Road while hiking enthusiasts can also visit parts of the road on foot.
Golden Pebble Beach (Jinshitan) National Tourist Resort: Located in the northeast of Dalian and surrounded by the sea on three sides, it has beautiful scenery and is the back garden of Dalian people. There are theme parks, world celebrity wax museums, geological museums, hot springs, flight experience centers, golf courses, and other recreational activities in the resort area. In addition, visitors can admire the strange boulders formed by rock deposits hundreds of millions of years ago and a large number of paleontological fossils.
Best time to visit Northeast China
It is suitable to travel to Northeast China throughout the year, while winter from December to February every year as this period is the best time to enjoy the snow scenery and experience the local culture and customs. The northeast region has a temperate monsoon climate, coupled with high latitude factors, summer is short and not too hot, but winter is extremely cold and long.
June to early August belongs to summer in Northeast China, with a pleasant climate: the highest temperature is 30°C during the hottest period, the rainfall is moderate, making it a good place to enjoy the summer vacation in China. The lowest temperature in winter is around -30°C, which is relatively dry and snowy. It snows in many places in October, and the snow melts in April of the following year, and spring comes.
How to get to Northeast China and travel around
Aviation, internal expressways, and rail transportation in the three northeastern provinces are relatively developed. Hence, it's rather convenient to get to northeast China and travel around.
Flight to Northeast China
Harbin Taiping International Airport (Heilongjiang), Changchun Longjia International Airport(Jilin), Shenyang Taoxian International Airport (Liaoning) and Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport (Liaoning) are four international airports in northeast China, which have many flights from Asian, European and North American countries every day, such as Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, Los Angeles, Frankfurt, Vancouver, and many cities and regions in Russia and Ukraine. Certainly, these four airports have daily flights to and from other major cities in China. In addition, Mudanjiang and Qiqihar in Heilongjiang, Dandong in Liaoning, Jilin and Yanji in Jilin all have domestic airports. Among them, Yanji airport not only has many flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, etc. every day but also opened international flights to many cities of South Korea.
Train to Northeast China
Basically, cities and towns in Northeast China have railway stations. Among them, cities such as Harbin, Changchun, Shenyang, Dalian, and Daqing have several railway stations. And there are many high-speed trains running between these cities every day, which takes about 1-3 hours. In addition, there are many high-speed trains from Beijing that take about 7.5 hours to Harbin, 6 hours to Changchun, and 5 hours to Shenyang.
Travel within Northeast China
Land transportation with expressways in northeast China is well developed, in addition to taking trains among the cities, travelers can consider taking a tourist bus or hire a private car through a local China travel agency. Besides, steamship is another popular way to travel between Shandong and northeast China as Dalian port has a superior geographical location. At present, Dalian has water routes leading to cities and regions such as Yantai, Weihai, and Penglai. When traveling in particular cities like Harbin, Changchun, Shenyang, taking taxis or public buses are very easy and convenient.
Accommodation and meals in Northeast China
Accommodation
Like other cities and scenic spots in China, there are many types and levels of hotels in Northeast China, ranging from budget hotels costing about CN¥ 200 per night to 5-star luxury hotels costing CN¥ 2,000 per night. The average price range for 3-star and 4-star hotels is from CN¥ 350 to CN¥ 800 per night in the shoulder season. Every summer and winter are the peak tourist seasons in Northeast China. Especially in winter, hotels near some ski resorts or snow scenery will be twice as expensive as usual. Basically, all hotels will have separate bathrooms and rooms with free wifi. Heating is also provided in the rooms in winter.
As mentioned above, Kang is a traditional residential homestay in Northeast China, also known as a warm bed or fire pit bed. Now in the suburbs of the Northeast region or near some tourist scenic spots, they also provide Kangs as a special lodging. But many of them are fake Kangs (harder beds) without a fire under the bed. Usually, the types of accommodation in Kangs are homestays or guesthouses, so the interior decoration style of the room will be more traditional and old-fashioned. Moreover, the places where Kang can be used are generally backward, so the room facilities will be relatively simple.
Dining
Northeastern cuisine is based on Manchu cuisine, absorbing the advantages of local cuisines, especially Shandong cuisine and Beijing cuisine, and continuously formed and developed. Northeastern cuisine is mainly characterized by stewed, sliced, and roasted, with a rough appearance but strong flavor. People in northeast China like various kinds of flour food, especially dumplings, spring pancakes, and leek cakes. Usually, the price of a cake/pie/pastry is CN¥5-10, and the price of a bowl of noodles or a plate of dumplings is around CN¥15-30. Generally, the price of Chinese food with northeast characteristics in ordinary restaurants is around CN¥60-80 per person, the price of a vegetarian dish is CN¥20-30, and the price of meat dishes is about CN¥35-60 per dish. The famous dishes include Fried Pork in Scoop (Guobaorou), Di San Xian (potato, green pepper, and eggplant), Stewed Sauerkraut with meat, Chicken Stewed with Mushrooms, and Grilled Cold Noodles.
Recommended tour and itineraries in Northeast China
To have a real taste of Northeast China's view, travelers would need at least a week to explore. For those who just wanna experience the ice and snow festivals in winter or see the polar lights in summer, a 3-4 days trip can be also good enough. Below is the 7-day classical route involving Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces: besides the famous Harbin snow festival and Yabuli skiing resort, it will also bring travelers to see the beautiful landscape in China Snow Town and Changbai mountain.
- Day 1: Harbin arrival. Overnight at Harbin.
- Day 2: Harbin, St. Sophia Church, Central Street, Siberian Tiger Park, Harbin Ice and Snow World. Overnight at Harbin.
- Day 3: Drive to Yabuli Ski Resort to enjoy skiing, then drive to China Snow Town. Overnight at Xuexiang.
- Day 4: China Snow Town sightseeing, then drive to Dunhua. Overnight at Dunhua.
- Day 5: Drive to Changbaishan Mountains for sightseeing. Overnight at Changbaishan.
- Day 6: Drive to Jilin, visit Songhua River and Rime Island. Overnight at Jinli.
- Day 7: Drive to Changchun, visit Puppet Emperors’ Palace and the World Sculpture Park, then drive to the airport or train station for departure.
Geographical conditions in Northeast China
The terrain of the three northeastern provinces is dominated by plains and mountains. The distributed Changbai Mountains and Xing’an Mountains are important natural barriers to the northeast ecosystem. The Sanjiang Plain, Songnen Plain, and Liaohe Plain have fertile soil and deep soil layers. The Songhua River, Liaohe River, Yalu River, and other major rivers originate here and have great economic value and Ecological value.
It is rich in material and an important timber and mineral production base in China, and contains abundant wild animal and plant resources. The forestry land area here accounts for 14.7% of China's total, and the forest coverage rate reaches 39.6%, which is far higher than China's forest coverage rate of 16.55%. They generally have a temperate monsoon climate, but due to higher latitudes in some areas, winter is cold and long, and summer is warm and short. The high forest coverage in Northeast China can lengthen the melting time of snow and ice, and the storage of snow in forests is helpful for the development of agriculture and forestry. In addition, the Northeast is the region that produces the most oil in China.
Distinguishing features in Northeast China
Since the birth of Chinese characters, the Northeast has been recorded in ancient literature as a region. The Liaoning area was already under construction 2500 years ago, and the Northeast was the first area in China to build cities and towns. The Northeast region has long been the gathering place of many ethnic minorities such as Manchu, Korean, Mongolian, and Sibe. The long history, splendid culture, multi-ethnic integration, coupled with higher latitude, these factors have created many unique customs and specialties in the Northeast, which are hard to see in other regions of China and even other places in the world.
1. Er Ren Zhuan 二人转
Er Ren Zhuan is also called Small Yangko (a folk dance popular in northeast China), Two People's Performing Arts, and Northeast Local Opera. It is rooted in the folk culture of northeast China with a history of more than 300 years. It is performing in the form of a man and a woman, with brightly colored costumes, holding a fan and handkerchief, singing and dancing while walking to express a story, with a loud and rough singing voice and humorous lyrics. The difference with the talk show is that its performance is two people, and the difference from the traditional Chinese Xiangsheng is that the performer must be a man and a woman, with a more complicated and diversified stage performance.
2. Paper Cutting and Pasting Window Paper-cuts
Chinese paper-cutting is a folk art that uses scissors to cut patterns on paper to decorate life or cooperate with other folk activities. Paper-cutting has a variety of colors, forms, themes, and methods and techniques, and there are many forms of performance. Although the paper-cutting has a history and heritage in many places in China, only the people in the north, especially the northeastern, stick paper-cuts on the windows of their homes. In addition to the role of decoration, it is more of a kind of blessing, praying for peace, health, and good luck. Shamanism played an important role in the life of the ancient People in northeast China. In order to visualize many gods, the people gradually cut the images of the gods on the paper for easy viewing. Nowadays, window Paper-cuts are the most important form of paper-cutting.
3. Kang 炕
Kang, is a sleeping platform made of bricks and slabs for people in northern China, especially northeastern people. There is a hole underneath that connects with a chimney and can be heated by fire. It can be said that Kang is a very great invention in the Northeast as winter there is extremely cold. Before the invention of air conditioning or heating, the emergence of the Kang solved this problem very effectively. With the improvement of living conditions, there are basically no Kangs in urban buildings. In a few rural and remote areas where central heating is not possible, people still sleep on the Kangs. Now accommodations near some tourist attractions in the Northeast will provide Kang facilities, giving tourists who want to learn about this lifestyle a good opportunity to experience.
4. Pickled Chinese Cabbage
In the previous times of insufficient materials, Northeast’s winter was extremely cold, making it impossible to grow vegetables. When vegetables are not available, the idea is to preserve them long enough for the family to eat in winter by marinating them and waiting for them to ferment. Although the living conditions are now better and people can grow vegetables in the greenhouse, the custom of pickling sauerkraut has been preserved. Before winter comes, almost every household in the Northeast will buy tens of pounds to hundreds of pounds of Chinese cabbage, wash them and then dry them. Then put the cabbage in a large tank, pour in the right amount of water and sea salt. Finally, seal it and put it in a cool and ventilated place to wait for fermentation. It can be eaten after one month of marinating. Pickled sauerkraut is a daily dish of Northeast families, and can be cooked with various meats and mushrooms.
5. Frozen Fruits
In the past, due to the lack of food and fruit preservation technology and fresh preservation transportation and storage conditions, frozen pears, frozen persimmons, and frozen apples were almost the only fruits that northeast people could eat in winter. Although there are refrigerators now, people in northeast China are still used to putting fruits outdoors, turning them into frozen fruits under the conditions of dozens of degrees below zero outside. The most famous is the frozen pear, which freezes ordinary white pears to a dark black color. Clean and then cut into small pieces with a knife for the best taste.
Useful travel tips
- The winter in the Northeast is extremely cold, so be sure to prepare warm clothes. And prepare waterproof pants and shoes, the thickness of snow in many places will reach the knees of adults.
- Be sure to prepare sunglasses. Watching the snow for a long time can cause short-term snow blindness.
- In winter, the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor in Northeast China is particularly large. Outdoors are often as low as minus 20C°, but indoors will be between 18C° and 24C°.
- The portion or amount of Northeastern dishes are large, and most flavors are a bit salty and greasy.
- In cold conditions, cameras and mobile phones are easily prone to malfunction and will automatically shut down.
- Jilin rime is a natural wonder, affected by the weather, not every day can be appreciated.