Qiqihar 齐齐哈尔市

Setting and landscape

Rivers such as the Nuomin (诺敏河), Yalu (雅鲁河) and Wuyur (乌裕尔河) also cross the prefecture, which the city describes as a zone where farming meets herding and an internationally recognised golden belt for dairy and maize. The Zhalong wetland (扎龙湿地), covering 210,000 hectares, is on the List of Wetlands of International Importance; the city says it is home to wild red-crowned cranes and to 6 of the world's 15 known crane species.

History

The city traces its story to the Neolithic fishing and hunting culture of Ang'angxi (昂昂溪), some 7,000 years ago; the Ang'angxi site is a national key protected site. Pangge city (庞葛城) stood here under the Liao and Jin. The Qing opened a post station at Bukui (卜奎) in 1665 and built Qiqihar city in 1691, and the office of the General of Heilongjiang moved here in 1699; the city counts 255 years as the provincial capital. On 4 November 1931, Ma Zhanshan (马占山) led Chinese troops against the Japanese assault on the Nen River bridge at Jiangqiao (江桥), which the city calls the first organised Chinese armed resistance to the invasion. The First and Second Five-Year Plans made Qiqihar a heavy-industry base, home to plants such as China First Heavy Industries (中国一重).

The city glosses its name as Daur (达斡尔) for 'natural pasture'. Daur villages such as Hanbodai (罕伯岱) in Fularji (富拉尔基) keep folk songs sung in the Daur language, passed down orally because the Daur have no script; they joined the national intangible heritage list in 2008.

What to see

Besides Zhalong, the city has the Bukui Mosque (卜奎清真寺) in Jianhua District (建华区), made up of an East Mosque and a West Mosque and listed as a national key protected site in 2006, and Longsha Park (龙沙公园), which keeps the Wangjiang Tower (望江楼) and Laodong Lake (劳动湖) and has ice displays in winter.

Food and local products

Barbecue restaurants are found all over the city, and the city government lists International Barbecue Food Capital (国际烤肉美食之都) among the titles Qiqihar has received. The city also names Beidacang liquor (北大仓白酒) and fresh-eating maize among its nationally known green foods.

Getting oriented

The city government sits in Jianhua District. Four railways, the Binzhou (滨洲), Pingqi (平齐), Qibei (齐北) and Fuxi (富西) lines, meet here, and Qiqihar South (齐齐哈尔南站) is a high-speed railway station.

Highlights

• Zhalong wetland 扎龙湿地: 210,000-hectare wetland of international importance, home to wild red-crowned cranes.
• Bukui Mosque 卜奎清真寺: Made up of an East and a West mosque, in Jianhua District; national key protected site since 2006.
• Longsha Park 龙沙公园: City park with the Wangjiang Tower and Laodong Lake, and ice displays in winter.
• Qiqihar barbecue 齐齐哈尔烤肉: Served in restaurants across the city; International Barbecue Food Capital is among the titles the city government lists.