Xingkai Lake

　　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 situated in the southeastern part of Heilongjiang Province, with the northern part belonging to China and the southern part to Russia. Covering an area of 4,380 square kilometers, the lake begins to freeze over in December, with the entire surface usually frozen within 10 to 15 days. By late February to early March, the ice layer can reach a thickness of 0.9 meters. Thawing generally occurs in mid to late April. The lake is surrounded by extensive marshes, and its bottom is rich in silt and organic matter. The water is turbid, with visibility as low as only 60 centimeters. The lake drains from its northeastern area near Longwang Temple through the Song’acha River, which flows into the Ussuri River. It is abundant in fish species and is recognized 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 paradise for photographers and a popular filming location for movies and TV dramas.

　　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 scattered sails on its calm surface, which is as smooth as a mirror — it is an inland lake of China. In contrast, Great Xingkai Lake features vast, misty waters that blend seamlessly with the sky, stretching endlessly with a majestic presence, earning it the nickname “Emerald Jewel.” The area around the lake is dotted with marshes, and the lakebed is rich in silt and organic matter. The water is murky, with visibility limited to just 60 centimeters. The two lakes are separated by a natural land ridge approximately 90 kilometers long and about 1 kilometer wide. This ridge is covered with dense primeval forest, blanketed with a thick carpet of pine needles. Species such as Xingkai Pine, oak, birch, oak, sika deer, marten, pheasant, wild boar, and weasel inhabit the forest. Along the 100-kilometer stretch on the Chinese side lies an unbroken belt of forest primarily composed of the endemic Xingkai Korean Pine. The soil on the sandy ridge is mainly sandy. The prevailing winds in this region blow from Russia, and on the side of Great Xingkai Lake, these winds create towering waves. However, upon reaching the sandy ridge, the wind is blocked. Beyond this ridge lies Little Xingkai Lake, where the wind cannot pass through, resulting in calm waters. Water from the lake drains from the northeast area near Longwang Temple via the Song’acha River, which receives inflows from nine rivers, eventually flowing out to the northeast and emptying into the Ussuri River. To the north of the lake lies Little Xingkai Lake, and the two are connected by a roughly 1-kilometer-wide sandy dam that becomes submerged during high water levels. The lake is rich in fish and is connected to the Ussuri River via the Song’acha River. Xingkai Lake serves multiple purposes, including flood control, water storage, drainage, irrigation, and tourism.

　　The shoreline of Little Xingkai Lake consists of fine, soft sandy beaches, and its waters are clean and unpolluted, with transparency ranging from 1.5 to 2.0 meters. In contrast, the Chinese side of Great Xingkai Lake mostly features gravel shallows along the shore. Due to sediment deposition caused by volcanic eruptions, crustal movements, and floodwaters, these areas have accumulated into marshy wetlands.

　　Xingkai Lake is a moderately eutrophic lake with a generally healthy ecosystem. Its primary pollutants stem from paper mill discharges. The lake is home to 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 flesh and delicious taste, typically weighing between 5 to 10 pounds per fish. With its elongated body and well-developed fins and tail, it is hailed as the “swimming champion.” Along with salmon from the Ussuri River and sandfish from the Suifen River, it is known as one of the “Three Treasures of the Frontier,” and is ranked as one of China’s Four Famous Freshwater Fish. Other species include silver carp, amur carp, abalone, crucian carp, and lake shrimp. Among the lake’s crustaceans, shrimp are the most predominant, making Xingkai Lake one of the key 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 near the mouth of the Song’acha River, migratory birds arriving from their wintering grounds in Southeast China, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the Bohai Bay, Taiwan, the Japanese archipelago, and the Korean Peninsula fly thousands of kilometers northward to Xingkai Lake. A total of 190 bird species across 16 orders and 39 families can be spotted here, with peak daily migration counts reaching up to 170,000 birds. There are 235 recorded bird species in the area, including 9 species under national first-class protection: the golden eagle, white-tailed sea eagle, Steller’s sea eagle, white-tailed eagle, oriental stork, red-crowned crane, Siberian crane, hooded crane, and scaly-sided merganser.

　　The Xingkai Lake Nature Reserve focuses on protecting rare bird species, and it is also home to the best deer antler producing area in Northeast China. The plant resources around Xingkai Lake are abundant, with 460 species across 104 families and 3 orders. Notable examples include 9 species of national second-class protected plants such as Xingkai Korean Pine and Dahurian juniper. Xingkai Pine is an evergreen coniferous tree that grows on the lake ridge. It is a naturally hybrid species that evolved over time between Korean Pine and Scots Pine, uniquely adapted to the Xingkai Lake region. Towering and resilient, Xingkai Pine stands strong against the wind and snow, enduring temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius.