Seventeen cities join hands to jointly promote the "Greater Northeast" – The Northeast Tourism Promotion Alliance is established in Beijing ...

    On October 14, Shenyang, Changchun, Harbin, Dalian, Anshan, Fushun, Jinzhou, Yingkou, Panjin, Jilin, Liaoyuan, Yanbian, Songyuan, Changbai Mountain, Daqing, Qiqihar, and the Greater Khingan Mountains — a total of 17 cities and regions — held the “Founding Conference of the Northeast Tourism Promotion Alliance” in Beijing. Representatives from each city jointly signed the “Beijing Declaration of the Northeast Tourism Promotion Alliance,” aiming to advance broader and higher-level exchanges and cooperation in tourism across the Northeast.

 

It is reported that the Northeast Tourism Promotion Alliance was initiated by the “Northeast 5-City Regional Tourism Consortium” (Shenyang, Changchun, Harbin, Dalian, Anshan), with the tourism bureaus (commissions) of 12 cities and regions — including Fushun, Jinzhou, Yingkou, Panjin, Jilin, Liaoyuan, Yanbian, Songyuan, Changbai Mountain, Daqing, Qiqihar, and the Greater Khingan Mountains — as its first members. The alliance will follow the principles of “complementary strengths, resource sharing, visitor exchange, and mutual benefit.” By improving the operational mechanism of the alliance with the “Northeast 5-City Regional Tourism Consortium” as its organizational core, it will carry out practical cooperation in areas such as developing distinctive tourism products, creating regional brands, exploring visitor markets, exchanging regional visitors, enhancing service quality, and promoting self-discipline in the tourism industry. Together, they aim to build an overall image of a “Four-Season Northeast” and develop premium regional tourism routes to comprehensively boost the tourism development of the Northeast region.

 

Gui Guangli, Vice Mayor of the People’s Government of Changchun City, delivered a speech on behalf of the “Northeast 5-City Regional Consortium.” He pointed out that the Northeast region shares connected landscapes, close cultural ties, and similar people-to-people bonds, giving it distinct advantages for tourism cooperation. Guided by the national strategy to actively promote regional tourism integration, the Northeast Tourism Promotion Alliance will play a significant role in accelerating the upgrading of regional tourism, building unique tourism brands for the Northeast, and expanding domestic and international visitor markets.

 

Zhang Lizhong, Director of the Department of Tourism Promotion and International Cooperation of the National Tourism Administration, attended the meeting and extended congratulations on behalf of the National Tourism Administration for the establishment of the Northeast Tourism Promotion Alliance. He said that in recent years, the National Tourism Administration has launched several promotional alliances such as the “Beijing-Guangzhou High-Speed Rail Tourism Market Promotion Alliance” and the “China Great Wall Tourism Market Promotion Alliance.” It has also guided localities in adopting many practical measures to build multi-tiered joint promotion mechanisms, achieving solid results. The establishment of the Northeast Tourism Promotion Alliance is of great significance for integrating regional tourism products and market resources in the Northeast, jointly building a unified brand image for Northeast tourism, and enhancing the region’s core competitiveness in tourism. Director Zhang also offered three suggestions for the future development of the Northeast Tourism Promotion Alliance: First, to leverage resource advantages and focus on flagship brands by deeply developing product lines centered on ice and snow tourism, eco-tourism, and high-speed rail tourism to better meet the personalized and diverse travel needs of the public, especially by highlighting the region’s resource strengths to create a national-level “Ice and Snow Tourism Belt”; second, to utilize geographical advantages to boost border trade tourism, deepen cooperation with neighboring countries and regions such as Russia, Japan, and North Korea, further enhance openness and development, and create new highlights for regional tourism cooperation in support of national tourism diplomacy strategies; third, to strengthen internal communication and coordination within the alliance based on the principles of “shared resources, shared markets, and co-created brands,” to plan collectively, cooperate fully, and enhance the construction of joint promotion mechanisms, thereby jointly building an integrated brand for Northeast tourism and further strengthening and expanding the Northeast tourism market.

 

On the same day, a “Four-Season Northeast · Splendid Guandong” premium routes promotion event was also held, introducing nine long-distance “Four-Season Travel” products featuring themes such as “Spring Welcoming Tours, Refreshing Summer Getaways, Autumn Foliage Journeys, and Passionate Ice and Snow Adventures,” 11 regional short-haul travel products, and two border travel routes. These routes organically connect the ecological, ice and snow, folk, cultural, rural, and border tourism resources of the three northeastern provinces, showcasing the tourism charm of cities such as Fortunate Shenyang, Energetic Changchun, Romantic Dalian, Charming Harbin, Jade Capital Anshan, Leisurely Fushun, Ecological Panjin, Hospitable Yingkou, Lively Jilin, Blessed Liaoyuan, Colorful Yanbian, Dynamic Songyuan, Breathtaking Changbai, Crane Homeland Qiqihar, Polar Greater Khingan Mountains, Oil Capital Daqing, and more.

Leaders from the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development and the Jilin Provincial Tourism Bureau, representatives from some Beijing-based travel agencies, major news media reporters in Beijing, as well as heads of tourism bureaus (commissions), travel agencies, and media reporters from the 17 cities — totaling over 300 participants — attended the conference.

In spring there are flowers, in autumn the moon; in summer cool breezes, in winter snow. The charm of the Northeast lies in its colorful seasonal features. The real Northeast allows you to admire flowers in spring with “warblers singing among thousands of miles of green and red,” escape the heat in summer while watching “egrets flying above misty rice fields,” hike mountains in autumn to view “frost-kissed leaves redder than February flowers,” and play in the snow in winter to witness “thousands of pear blossoms blooming on the trees.”

Following the footsteps of the goddess of time, we step into the Northeast in April to welcome the rebirth of spring. Spring in the Northeast always arrives a bit later and is a bit shorter than in the south. Precisely for this reason, spring in the Northeast feels all the more precious. When flowers fade in the south by April, the Northeast’s blossoms are just beginning to bloom.

To enjoy the floral welcome of spring in the Northeast, start with Dalian’s cherry and pear blossom tour. While spring outings are still racing against time, Dalian’s red-leaf cherry, weeping cherry, single-petal cherry, and green cherry blossoms are ready to welcome guests. The annual Dalian Cherry Blossom Festival sees full blooms gently falling in silence.

Following the drifting cherry blossoms northward, Anshan’s pear blossoms are breathtakingly lovely. Around May Day each year, the Anshan Pear Blossom Festival blankets the hills in snow-white blossoms, with a faint fragrance lingering in the air — from afar, they look like rolling white waves, up close like drifting snow.

As the pear blossoms fall, tulips bloom with romance, fragrant like orchids with a subtle charm, and their blossoms are as transparent as golden goblets. In the springtime Northeast, almost every city can enjoy the beauty of tulip seas. Especially the tulips in Changchun Park, which are a highlight of Changchun’s spring.

Among the blooming flowers of the Northeast, peonies hold a unique allure. In the spring, the Changchun Peony Garden boasts over ten thousand fragrant peonies, making it the only premium park in Jilin Province and even the entire Northeast.

The summer in the Northeast features blue skies, clear waters, cascading springs, shaded greenery, birdsong, and floral scents — it is a traditional ink painting, a cultural song, and a melody of life. Every June and July, when the south is already in barbecue mode, the Northeast enjoys gentle breezes and cool, pleasant weather.

The summer journey begins in Dalian, nestled between mountains and sea. The Golden Pebble Beach Resort boasts a ten-mile stretch of golden sandy beaches with soft sand and crystal-clear seawater. Strolling along Binhai Road, you’ll take in the sights of Tiger Beach, Bangchui Island, Xiuyue Peak, Yanwo Ridge, and the Eighteen-Bend Strange Slope.

Heading further north, you’ll arrive at the Qianshan Scenic Area, known as the “Pearl of the Northeast,” where you can appreciate the grandeur of its nine hundred and ninety-nine peaks and enjoy the natural beauty described as “counting flowers toward the blue sky, nine hundred and ninety-nine lotuses.”

Red rivers, red lanterns, red excitement — summer in Fushun’s Qingyuan is ablaze in red. Here you’ll find the most thrilling Red River Valley rafting, with leisurely calm sections and exhilarating yet safe rapids. Dense forests and towering rocks line both riverbanks, and the winding river twists and turns through the mountains, creating a feeling of “lost in a mountainous maze only to find a bright village beyond.”

In summer, Yingkou offers a blend of river and sea, with beautiful mountains and clear waters. Picturesque mountains, dense forests, romantic beaches, and the charming scenery of the “confluence of nine rivers” form a series of vibrant and colorful tourist attractions.

The summer in the Northeast offers tranquility with its mountains and wetlands, and vibrancy with its soaring swans and birds. Panjin, known as the “Crane Homeland,” “Black-Beaked Gull Homeland,” “Wetland Capital,” and “Bird Paradise,” lets you witness red-crowned cranes, oriental storks, white cranes, black-beaked gulls, and swans in its coastal reed marsh wetlands.

Jinzhou, a historical strategic stronghold and today’s coastal charm capital — in summer, the Penholder Mountain is lush and green, with the mystical bridge between the mountain island and the coastline appearing and disappearing with the tides, truly living up to its reputation as a celestial mountain. On Beiputuo Mountain, morning bells and evening drums drift year-round, with auspicious clouds and blessed rains lingering through the ages.

In summer, Changchun’s Jingyue Lake is a natural oxygen bar. Its vast forests are dense and majestic, arranged along the mountains like a formidable army. Green pines sway in the wind, playing the moonlight sonata with their rustling, while the lake reflects the moon, gently playing the song of the pine-covered ridges. The Songhua Lake Scenic Area in Jilin City is embraced by green mountains and surrounded by clear waters, with deep valleys that captivate visitors.

Summer in Harbin is romantic and enchanting. On Sun Island, you’ll see ancient trees, vast marshes, and clear waters among white sands and green willows, where you can paddle boats and swim in the wild. The Hulan River Estuary Wetland Park, described by Xiao Hong, features blue skies, clear waters, cascading springs, and waterfalls.For those who enjoy road trips, a self-drive to Ping Shan offers the fun of camping in the wild.

In Qiqihar, summer brings the calls of red-crowned cranes and the rushing flows of the Nen River. Visit the Sheidong Cave Scenic Area in Nianzishan and Mingyue Island Scenic Area for sightseeing, observe cranes in the Zhalong Wetland, go rafting on the Yalu River, and enjoy the freshness of the wetlands and the harmony of nature.

Summer in Changbai Mountain is pristine and picturesque, with vast forests stretching as far as the eye can see and majestic mountains towering into the distance. Take a walk in the primeval forests of Changbai Mountain and breathe in the fresh air of a thousand years ago. The expansive woodlands allow you to forget the noise and restlessness of the world.

The Greater Khingan Mountains region is home to true virgin forests and cities nestled within woodland. Here you can marvel at a thousand-mile ecological gallery and a vast snow-covered forest sea, and greet the first rays of dawn in the east.

Scenic Yanbian showcases the full charm of Northeast Asian culture. Standing on the Dragon-Tiger Pavilion in the Fangchuan Scenic Area, you can take in the breathtaking views of three countries.

In summer, Liaoyuan boasts serene Egret Lake, vibrant flower seas standing proudly against the wind, and the meandering Liao River flowing gracefully along the banks. It whispers quietly in the morning and hums softly in the evening.

Cultural heritage sites are living totems in people’s hearts, encapsulating millennia of history in an instant, preserving the memories of time and passing on the fragrance of history. In the Northeast, explore the secrets of ancient palaces, visit the Manchu Imperial Palaces, stroll through European-style courtyards, and admire historical relics from modern times.

Traveling through centuries to discover ancient ruins, start with Shenyang’s Qing Imperial Palace, Qing Fuling Tomb, Qing Zhaoling Tomb, and Qing Dynasty Street to see the early Qing imperial courts and mausoleums. Then head to Fushun’s Qing Yongling Tomb to explore the ancestral spirits of the Aisin Gioro clan. Visit the Jin Taizu Tomb in Acheng to witness imperial majesty. Explore the remains of the Jin Shangjing Huining Prefecture in Harbin to see the early capital of the Jurchens, ancestors of the Manchus. Visit the Jin Yuan Cultural Tourism Area to see the ruins of the Jin Dynasty capital. Also, check out Hetu Ala City in Fushun, the first capital of the Qing Dynasty, and the Ang’angxi Ruins in Qiqihar to uncover the fishing and hunting culture of northern China from 5,000 years ago.

To learn about modern Northeastern history, visit Shenyang’s “September 18th” Historical Museum and the Broken Calendar Monument, Changchun’s Museum of the Puppet Manchukuo Palace and Xinmin Street, and Harbin’s Exhibition Hall of Crimes Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Invading Army. These sites help you explore history, remember national humiliation, and cherish the present. Visit Harbin’s Museum of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Martyrs to pay tribute to heroes like Yang Jingyu and Zhao Yiman, Qiqihar’s Soviet Martyrs’ Cemetery to honor Soviet soldiers who died in battle, and the West Manchuria Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery to listen to the symphony of revolution. Explore the Jiangqiao Resistance War ruins to relive the battles of the past, and collect bullet fragments from the war at Dalian’s 203 Highland.

To meet figures from modern history, visit Qiqihar, the hometown of Wanrong, the last empress of the Qing Dynasty. Go to Shenyang’s Zhang’s Mansion to see the living environment of “King of the Northeast” Zhang Zuolin and his son Zhang Xueliang. Or head to Hulan District in Harbin to visit the residence of Xiao Hong, the renowned left-wing female writer.

The Northeast is home to ethnic minorities such as the Manchu and Korean peoples. To explore the region’s ethnic and folk culture, start with Yanbian, the most Korean-flavored area, by visiting the Yanbian Korean Ethnic Folklore Park to step into Korean homes and experience farming culture. Go to Qiqihar to visit the Morin Daur New Village in Meilisi Daur Autonomous Banner to see how the Daur people live, and the Kirgiz Ethnic Culture Tourism Village to learn about Kirgiz culture.

To study Confucian and Mencian culture and attend lectures on traditional Chinese studies, visit the over 140-year-old Changchun Confucius Temple. For Korean culture, go to the China Korean Ethnic Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum in Yanbian. To explore Paleolithic culture, visit the Xianren Cave Site in Anshan. For the grandeur and elegance of European-style architecture, start with Dalian’s Russian Street and then stroll through Harbin’s Central Avenue and Saint Sophia Cathedral. Admire exquisite sculpture art at the Changchun World Sculpture Park, where the thoughts of over 200 master sculptors come alive. You can also visit the Jade Buddha Temple in Anshan and the Golden Summit Great Buddha in Dunhua for blessings, and feel the profundity of Buddhism and inner spiritual serenity. Changchun is the cradle of China’s new film industry. The recently opened Changchun Film Studio Museum preserves the original appearance of the old studio area, showcasing the studio’s development and artistic achievements through video materials, historical photos, and props.

In the Northeast, many places offer thrilling entertainment. At Shenyang Fantawild Adventure, experience extreme flying and interstellar exploration. At Changchun Movie Wonderland, known as the “Hollywood of the East,” step into the adventurous world of cinema and uncover magical spells to escape from flames. At Dalian Discoveryland Park, cartoon characters accompany you in your quest for joy. At Harbin Yongtai World Indoor Theme Park, experience the thrill of speeding through the dark.

The mysteries of the ocean always captivate people. At Dalian’s Sun Asia Ocean World and Xiangzhou Pastoral City, embark on an immersive fantasy ocean journey. At Dalian’s Sun Asia Polar World and Harbin Polarland, get up close with polar animals like polar bears and penguins. At Fushun Royal Ocean Theme Park and Fengyuan Re-Gao Amusement Park, traverse ocean tunnels and swim with countless fish in the deep blue world. At Dalian’s Shell Museum, explore over 5,000 rare shells from the world’s four oceans.

Northeasterners love a good time. The region hosts numerous tourism festivals. Summer festivals, wetland festivals, beer festivals, hiking festivals, concerts, and rural tourism festivals create a lively and bustling atmosphere throughout the Northeastern summer.

The most lively and enjoyable way to spend a Northeastern summer night is by grilling skewers and drinking beer. To experience the hospitality and enthusiasm of Northeasterners, head to Shenyang, Changchun, Harbin, or Dalian for the annual International Summer Beer Festival. Enjoy the cool summer breeze, savor authentic German beer, taste delicacies from across the country, and appreciate wonderful performances. The beer festival brings unparalleled vibrancy to the Northeast.

Spring brings growth, summer brings maturity, autumn brings harvest, and winter brings storage—year after year. As the passionate heat of summer fades, the wheel of seasons turns to the golden autumn. The most delightful aspect of the Northeast’s autumn is the bountiful harvest: forests ablaze with color, picturesque autumn scenes, rice bending under the weight of grain, trees heavy with fruit, crabs growing plump in rivers and fields, and a bumper crop of fruits and vegetables.

At this time, you can visit the beautiful rural areas of the Northeast to experience the harvest. Pull corn, string chili peppers, pick grapes… Steam a pot of eggplant and potatoes, dip them in rural soybean paste, make a big rice wrap, enjoy steamed crabs, braised live fish, and stewed goose in an iron pot, all paired with Northeastern rice. Autumn in the Northeast is a paradise for food lovers.

When it comes to Northeastern specialties, the Panjin River Crab is renowned nationwide. Panjin’s crisscrossing rivers and abundant ponds and ditches, along with vast reed marshes and rice fields, are home to river crabs that wave their claws, at their plumpest and most delicious during this season.

Autumn in the Northeast subtly shifts between red, yellow, and green, then branches out into even more colors to describe the autumn mountains and forests before your eyes.

Along Panjin’s 118-kilometer coastline, vast stretches of crimson seepweed plants grow, creating the world-famous Red Beach, a rare natural wonder. In autumn, Liaoyuan is covered in red leaves and laden with fruit. The Hongye Ridge National Forest Park in Liaoyuan and the Red Leaf Valley in Jiaohe, Jilin, sway with tree shadows and undulating red waves. Autumn on Changbai Mountain is like a well-aged fine wine. The mountain’s premier attraction, Heaven Lake, resembles a magnificent piece of jade embedded among the majestic, winding peaks, with stunning peaks and misty waters around the lake, dazzling in their beauty. The Changbai Mountain Grand Canyon features competing peaks and layered ridges, presenting a magnificent and ever-changing scene.

Wetlands, known as the “kidneys of the Earth,” play a dual role in climate regulation and water purification. In Daqing, there are vast and beautiful wetland landscapes. At Heming Lake Wetland, glide through seas of reeds; at Longfeng Wetland, let the gentle streams soothe your heart. Entering the wetlands can purify your thoughts, cleanse your soul, and allow you to listen to the harmonious symphony of humans and nature coexisting.

The Greater Khingan Mountains are densely forested, and autumn is their most beautiful season. Nature paints the mountains in vibrant colors and the earth in gold. The scenery of the colorful mountains yields a harvest of wild blueberries, cranberries, and hazelnuts. The golden, bountiful autumn blends seamlessly with the natural hues of the land, immersing everything in this serene and beautiful autumn scenery.

The Northeast is an important old industrial base in China. Today, sites like Shenyang’s AVIC Shenyang Aircraft Industry Group Aviation Expo Park, Casting Museum, Steam Locomotive Museum, and Workers’ Village Life Museum, Changchun’s Red Flag Exhibition Hall and FAW Car Production Line, Harbin’s Third Power Generation Company, Qiqihar’s Huadian Factory, and Fushun Coal Museum showcase products, factories, production lines, experimental platforms, and the bustling scenes of large-scale industrial production. These sites offer a more immersive, participatory, and technological experience. Industrial tourism is becoming a “new trend” in Northeastern travel.

As the abundance of autumn fades away, the dreamlike winter of the Northeast arrives slowly. The Northeastern winter is long, with endless snow blurring the boundaries of heaven and earth, romanticizing the world. Since ancient times, ice and snow have been inseparably linked with sports. In the Northeast, you can trek through snowy forests, glide passionately atop snow-capped peaks, enjoy the snow, play in it, and soak in hot springs. The Northeastern winter is a fairy-tale-like, dreamy ice and snow wonderland.

The three provinces of the Northeast are a winter skiing paradise and an important “ice and snow tourism belt” in China. Whether you’re a skiing enthusiast or just starting to take an interest, ski resorts of all levels will surely satisfy your desire to embrace the ice and snow.

Harbin’s Yabuli Ski Resort is surrounded by mountains and dense forests, with thick snow, and serves as a training base for national ski athletes. The Yinghuahong Ski Resort in the Greater Khingan Mountains is built to the highest domestic standards and is the largest and best-equipped ski resort in western Heilongjiang. Changchun’s Jingyue Ski Resort features internationally certified cross-country skiing tracks where you can compete with top skiers from around the world. Jilin’s Beidahu Ski Resort, surrounded by mountains on three sides and with weak winter winds, frequently hosts national-level competitions as a professional ski resort.

In the Northeast, winter is not a symbol of cold but a synonym for fun. Here, people of all ages can find their own relaxation and joy on the slopes. For quiet moments, admire snow sculptures, watch ice lanterns, and view rime ice. For active fun, have snowball fights, ride snowmobiles, play on snow slides, or take dog-sled rides. Whether active or still, you can fully enjoy the passion and joy of the Northeastern winter.

For ice lanterns, head to Harbin’s Ice and Snow World, where the ice lanterns resemble glittering crystal palaces, a world of jade and silver ice and a sea of lights. To see snow sculptures, visit Changchun’s Jingyue Snow World, a fairy-tale snow kingdom with a dreamy castle slide, European-style towns, and a majestic snow Great Wall. It shimmers by day and dazzles in color by night. Jilin’s rime ice is one of the world’s four natural wonders, with frost-covered willows along the ten-mile river embankment, creating a landscape of jade trees and silver flowers. In the snow kingdom of Changbai Mountain, everything is draped in silver, majestic and magnificent, a pristine icy world that is a snowy Shangri-La. Here, people can experience spiritual transcendence and elevation.

Snow always has a magical charm. When ordinary games encounter the enchanted snow, they instantly become a lot more fun. In the major ski resorts across Northeast China, there are various snow and ice amusement parks and activity zones—ride snow slides, navigate snow mazes, play snow golf, drive snowmobiles, take dog-sledding rides... thrilling and incredibly entertaining.

After a heavy snowfall, have a snowball fight, build a snowman, spin an ice top, or ride a sled in the spacious courtyard. Experience the Northeast's culinary traditions like stewed dishes in a big iron pot, decorating windows with paper cuttings, putting up Spring Festival couplets, and setting off fireworks. Try your hand at making sticky rice buns, and sample frozen pears and persimmons... The folk culture of the Northeast is reflected in every aspect of life—eating, living, traveling, and using things—especially vividly showcased during the cold winter months. From December each year to just before the Spring Festival, the Chagan Lake Winter Fishing Festival in Songyuan features an ancient and mysterious fishing method that is both spectacular and awe-inspiring. If you want to see tens of thousands of fresh fish emerging from the icy surface, be sure to visit Songyuan’s Chagan Lake, the last surviving fishing and hunting community in northern China.

In the Northeast, while the outdoors are freezing and snow-covered, indoors it’s warm as spring—and soaking in a hot spring is even more comfortable and relaxing. There are numerous options: the Silabo Hot Spring, Hongxigu Hot Spring, Yujingshan Hot Spring, and Xiaoyu Hot Spring in Yingkou; the Fengyuan Re-Gao Amusement Park in Fushun; the Tanggangzi Hot Spring in Anshan; the Guoxin Nanshan Hot Spring, Guandong Cultural Park Energy Wellness Hot Spring, and Yulong Hot Spring in Changchun; the Dadengzishan Hot Spring in Harbin and the Hezhi Tang Hot Spring in Qiqihar; as well as the Blue View Hot Spring, Purple Jade Hot Spring, and Radon Hot Spring on Changbai Mountain. Whether offering elegant landscapes and unique designs, a multitude of pools with distinctive therapeutic effects, or simply the joy of soaking in warmth—experiencing the contrast of ice and fire in winter is something you must try by visiting the hot springs of the Northeast.

The Northeast has charm in every season and a rich cultural tapestry. Admire flowers in spring, escape the heat in summer, enjoy the mountain scenery in autumn, and play in the snow in winter. Each season brings its own scenery, and every month has its own festivals. The mystery and allure of the Northeast can only truly be felt by seeing it for yourself. Welcome to the Northeast.