Xingkai Lake

Xingkai Lake

Xingkai Lake is a national geopark and a national nature reserve.

Xingkai Lake, whose name originates from the Manchu language, was originally an inland lake of China. After the signing of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Beijing in 1860, it became a border lake between China and Russia. It is located in the southeastern part of Heilongjiang Province, with the northern part belonging to China and the southern part to Russia. The lake covers an area of 4,380 square kilometers. It begins to freeze in December, and the entire surface freezes within 10 to 15 days. By the end of February to early March, the ice layer can reach a thickness of 0.9 meters. Thawing occurs in mid to late April. The area around the lake is dotted with marshes, and the lakebed consists largely of silt and humus. The water is murky, with visibility as low as only 60 centimeters. The lake drains from the northeast near Longwang Temple via the Song’acha River, which flows into the Ussuri River. It is rich in fish and serves as a national (4A-level) resort destination for leisure, wellness, and tourism, often referred to as the “Oriental Hawaii.” Its rare pristine wetland environment has made it a dream destination for photographers and a popular site for film and television productions.

Although Xingkai Lake and Little Xingkai Lake are located close to each other, their landscapes are vastly different. Little Xingkai Lake is gentle and tranquil, with fish leaping, birds flying, and sails dotting its mirror-like, calm surface—it is China’s inland lake. In contrast, Greater Xingkai Lake is vast and misty, with the water and sky merging into one boundless expanse, exuding a majestic and powerful aura, earning it the nickname “Emerald Gem.” The area around the lake is dotted with marshes, and the lakebed contains a lot of silt and humus. The water is murky, with visibility as low as only 60 centimeters. The two lakes are separated by a natural lake ridge approximately 90 kilometers long and about 1 kilometer wide. The lake ridge is covered with dense primeval forest, blanketed with a thick pine needle floor. Species such as Xingkai Pine, oak, birch, oak, sika deer, mink, pheasants, wild boars, and weasels inhabit the area. This 100-kilometer stretch along the Chinese side is densely forested with Xingkai Korean Pine, a local endemic species. The soil on the sandy ridge is mainly sandy. The prevailing winds in this region come from Russia; on the side of Greater Xingkai Lake, these winds whip up towering waves on the lake surface. But when the wind reaches the sandy ridge, it is blocked. Beyond this ridge lies Little Xingkai Lake, where the wind cannot pass through, resulting in a calm surface. The lake drains from the northeast near Longwang Temple via the Song’acha River, with a total of nine rivers flowing into it. The water overflows to the northeast and eventually flows into the Ussuri River. To the north of the lake lies Little Xingkai Lake, and the two are connected by a sandy dam about 1 kilometer wide, which becomes submerged during high water. The lake is rich in fish. Its waters connect with the Ussuri River via the Song’acha River. Xingkai Lake functions as a natural body of water with multiple purposes including flood control, water storage, drainage, irrigation, and tourism.

The shoreline of Little Xingkai Lake consists of soft, fine sand, and the water is clean and unpolluted, with visibility ranging from 1.5 to 2.0 meters. In contrast, the Chinese side of Greater Xingkai Lake features mostly gravel shallows along the shore. Due to volcanic eruptions, crustal movements, and sediment deposition carried by floods, the lakeshore has gradually become silted and transformed into marsh wetlands.

Xingkai Lake is a moderately eutrophic lake, with a healthy ecosystem. Its main pollutants stem from paper mill discharges. There are 65 species of fish across 6 orders and 12 families, among which the most famous are the whitefish and white shrimp. The whitefish is a specialty of Xingkai Lake, known for its tender, delicious meat, with individual fish weighing between 5 to 10 pounds. It has an elongated body and well-developed fins and tail, earning it the title of “swimming champion.” Together with salmon from the Ussuri River and beachhead fish from the Suifen River, it is known as one of the “Three Treasures of the Frontier,” and is listed as one of China’s four famous freshwater fish. Other species include silver carp, mandarin fish, abalone, crucian carp, and lake shrimp. Among the crustaceans, shrimp are the most prominent. Xingkai Lake is also one of the main aquaculture bases in Heilongjiang Province.

Xingkai Lake lies along the major migratory route for birds in Northeast Asia. Every April, in the open water area at the mouth of the Song’acha River, migratory birds from their wintering grounds in Southeast China, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Bohai Bay, Taiwan, the Japanese archipelago, and the Korean Peninsula fly thousands of kilometers north to Xingkai Lake. A total of 190 species across 16 orders and 39 families are recorded here, with the peak daily passage reaching 170,000 birds. There are 235 species of migratory birds in total, including nine species under first-class national protection: golden eagles, white-tailed sea eagles, Steller’s sea eagles, white-tailed eagles, oriental white storks, red-crowned cranes, white cranes, hooded cranes, and scaly-sided mergansers.

The Xingkai Lake Nature Reserve focuses on protecting rare bird species. It is also home to the best deer antler producing area in Northeast China. The plant resources in Xingkai Lake consist of 460 species across 104 families and 3 orders, including nine species of second-class nationally protected plants such as Xingkai Korean Pine and Dahurian juniper. Xingkai Korean Pine is an evergreen conifer that grows on the lake ridge. It is a naturally hybrid species that evolved over time between Korean Pine and Scots Pine in the Xingkai Lake region. Sturdy and proud, it stands tall against the wind and snow and can withstand temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius.

Dangbi Town: Dangbi Town is located in the southwestern part of Mishan City. After the restructuring of townships and towns, it was formed by merging the former Sansuotong Township and Dangbi Town, and is classified as a border township. The town covers a total area of 225 square kilometers, comprising 8 administrative villages, 18 natural villages, 3,261 households, and a population of 12,032. The Jimi Highway runs through the town, providing convenient transportation. The average annual rainfall ranges between 520 to 570 millimeters, with a frost-free period of about 135 days, placing it within a temperate continental monsoon climate zone.

The total agricultural income of the town is 25.26 million yuan, with a per capita income of around 2,100 yuan. Under such challenging conditions... Dangbi Town detailed information++