Yilan Ancient City Central Tourism Area

Yilan Ancient City Central Tourism Area

The Yilan Ancient City Central Tourism Area is located in the eastern part of Harbin and is accessible via three expressways: Tong-San Expressway, Ha-Tong Expressway, and Ha-Luo Expressway. It is 270 kilometers away from Harbin. This is a cultural landscape tourism area featuring historical and cultural elements.

In 1996, it was approved by the Heilongjiang Provincial Government as one of the five major historical and cultural cities. Yilan is a provincial-level historical and cultural city. With three mountains standing opposite each other and four rivers converging, it is a provincial-level ecological demonstration area and also one of the counties with the best ecological environment and resources in the country. Since ancient times, it has been an important activity center for ancient human habitation in the northeastern part of China and a place where the Manchu people and their ancestors thrived. It has enjoyed reputations such as “Famed across thirty thousand li to the north of the Great Wall, Renowned throughout sixteen prefectures to the south of the Yangtze,” and “Abundant in natural beauty and blessed with outstanding people.”

Yilan is the Chinese translation of the Manchu term “Yilan Hala,” where “Yilan” means “three” and “Hala” means “surname,” hence Yilan is also known as “Sanxing” (Three Surnames). Over a thousand years ago, this place had already become the political, military, and cultural center of the northeast. For thousands of years, Yilan’s administrative establishment has never been interrupted.

This place is not only the birthplace of Menggetiemuer, the sixth-generation ancestor of Nurhaci, the founding emperor of the Qing Dynasty, but also the place where Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong of the Northern Song Dynasty were held in captivity. Major attractions include the Wokenhada Cave Site, the Wuguo City Site, Huancheng Park, Zuo Jing Guan Tian Garden, Ciyun Temple, Mosque, Folk Museum, Dongshan Giant Buddha, and Guai Po (Strange Slope). Among them, Zuo Jing Guan Tian Garden is a provincial-level cultural site in Heilongjiang and a national-level tourism resource.

Ciyun Temple: Established in 1928, Ciyun Temple in Yilan was built by General Li Du, a renowned anti-Japanese general from the northeast, for his elder sister on the foundation of the Dragon King Temple. It covers an area of 15,647 square meters. The overall architecture of the temple is simple, elegant, grand, and majestic. The temple faces south and has a well-organized layout with clear hierarchy. The main structures consist of three tiers of halls: the Four Kings Hall, the Three Saints Hall, and the Dragon King Hall, which are neatly arranged along a central axis from south to north. All three halls are single-eave flush-gable buildings, with arched shelters connected in front of the halls and round ridges covered with green tiles. In 1990, a bell and drum tower and a bhikkhuni stupa were added, making the layout even more rigorous and complete.

Transportation Guide

Scenic Area Address: Within Yilan County, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province

By Bus: Buses to Yilan County from Harbin can be taken to reach the area.

By Car: Starting from Harbin, get on the Ring Expressway, drive 29.6 km and exit at Jiamusi/Shuangyashan, then go straight onto the Ha-Tong Expressway. Drive 251.0 km, exit at Yilan from Mudanjiang Bridge, turn left onto S308 Highway, drive 530 m, take the first exit onto Tongjiang Road, drive 2.3 km, then enter Tonghe Street and drive 380 m to reach the destination.