Heihe Port

Heihe Port

The area where Heihe City is located was originally known as Heihe Town, situated directly across the river from Blagoveshchensk, the capital of Russia’s Amur Oblast. It is the only sister city facing each other along the 7,000-kilometer Sino-Russian border. In 1912, the Beiyang Government established the Heihe Circuit; in 1934, the puppet state of Manchukuo set up Heihe Province here; in 1945, it was liberated, and the first people's democratic government — the Heihe Administrative Office — was established here. In 1946, it was renamed the Heihe Administrative Commissioner's Office. In 1980, Heihe City (the former Heihe City) was established; in 1992, it was approved by the State Council as an open border city. In early 1993, the “two withdrawals and two establishments” were carried out: the former Heihe City was abolished and replaced with Aihui District, the former Heihe administrative office was disbanded, and the current Heihe City was established. The current urban area is home to 33 ethnic groups, including Manchu, Hui, Korean, Mongolian, Daur, and Oroqen.

Heihe Port is located in the western part of the urban area. The train station is situated in the southeastern part of the city, the passenger transport station is in the southern part, and the airport lies to the south of the passenger transport station. The central part of the city is the administrative district. The three-star Heihe International Hotel is located on the north side of the eastern section of Wangsu Street. Most buildings in the urban area are brick-and-tile structured, with modern architectural styles predominating. Some buildings from the Qing Dynasty and those in Russian architectural style have been preserved. There are over 20 primary, secondary, and tertiary schools and research institutions in the city, and cinemas, the Workers’ Cultural Palace, stadiums, museums, and parks are scattered throughout the urban area.

The tourism industry in Heihe has developed rapidly. On September 24, 1988, Heihe launched the first cross-border one-day tour to Russia, marking the start of continuous growth and expansion in the tourism sector. To date, tourism has become an indispensable and important part of Heihe’s economic development.