Xinxing Oroqen Ethnic Township

Xinxing Oroqen Ethnic Township

Xinxing Oroqen Ethnic Township is located 89 kilometers from Heihe City. The Oroqen people are among the smallest ethnic groups in China. For a long time, they led a primitive hunting and gathering lifestyle deep in the dense forests of the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains. They consumed game meat, wore animal hides, and lived an archaic life where men hunted with bows, arrows, and muzzle-loading guns, while women gathered food.

After the liberation, the Oroqen people settled down and established their township, thus bidding farewell to their primitive hunting lifestyle. However, many of their traditional cultural elements—such as primitive religious beliefs, shamanistic customs, taboos, nature worship, religious rituals, life ceremonies, wedding and funeral practices—have been preserved and are still recognized among the Oroqen community. These traditions are well-documented and can be physically observed. The mysterious ancient culture of the Oroqen people is a shining jewel in China’s ethnic cultural treasury, attracting increasing attention and admiration from scholars, experts, and tourists both at home and abroad. In 1994, it was designated as a provincial-level folk culture tourism base by the Heilongjiang Tourism Bureau.