Hunjiang District 浑江区

Setting and landscape

North of the Hun River the hills belong to the Longgang range and south of it to the Laoling range, both mid-height and low mountains. The highest point is Laoliangzi (老梁子) in the Longgang range, 1,492 metres, on the Linjiang border southwest of Hongtuya town (红土崖镇). The Yalu flows through the district for 45 kilometres, and the Hun River, its largest tributary, for 37 kilometres. Winters are long and cold, averaging -18°C, while the district government promotes it as a summer retreat with a comfortable 22°C.

What to see

Longshan Lake (龙山湖), a 3A scenic area 57 kilometres from the city on the middle Yalu, is the winding valley reservoir behind the Yunfeng hydropower dam (云峰水电站). It has an island in the river, three caves and sixteen named peaks, and the district's suggested one-day route runs from the reservoir past Ermaju Peak (二马驹) and the island to the Yunfeng dam. Closer to town, Qingshan Lake (青山湖), a 2A scenic area 2 kilometres from the city in the northern hills, is the reservoir of Qinggouzi (青沟子) dam, about 1 kilometre long and 200 metres wide, developed for visitors since 1992.

The district's own list of sights, from south to north, also includes Xiaochang (小长村) fishing village on the Yalu, the Changbai Mountain Maze karst cave (长白山迷宫溶洞, a 3A site), the site of the Qidaojiang Conference (七道江会议旧址), Tai'an Lake Manchu folk park (泰安湖满族风情园), Beishan Park (北山公园) and the red-leaf valley at Sifangshan (四方山红叶谷).

History and culture

Before the Qing conquest the area was home mainly to the ancestors of today's Manchu, Mongol and Korean peoples, and by the early twentieth century it had become an important political, economic and military town for the area. The district government names three strands of local culture: fishing and hunting, timber rafting on the rivers, and Korean folk customs. The district carried the name Badaojiang (八道江区) until the State Council renamed it Hunjiang on 22 February 2010.

Highlights

• Longshan Lake 龙山湖: 3A scenic area on the middle Yalu, the valley reservoir of the Yunfeng hydropower dam.
• Qingshan Lake 青山湖: 2A scenic area 2 km from the city, the reservoir of Qinggouzi dam, developed since 1992.
• Changbai Mountain Maze Cave 长白山迷宫溶洞: Karst cave listed by the district as a 3A scenic area.