(i) Geographical Position

This is the beautiful and richly endowed Heilongjiang, a province named after its largest River, the Heilongjiang River.

Heilongjiang faces Russia across the Heilongjiang River in the north and the Wusuli River in the east, and shares a borderline of over 3,045 kilometers with Russia, As China’s sixth largest province, Heilongjiang covers 454,800 square kilometers, accounting for 4.7 percent of the nation’s total land area. Heilongjiang province exercises jurisdiction over 13 cities (prefectures), 65 counties (county-level cities) and ethnic autonomous counties, with Harbin as its capital.

(ii) Natural Resources

The Province features a rigid temperate continental monsoon climate with annual average temperature from minus 4 to 4 degree centigrade. The frost-free period is 100-140 days, and its precipitation is 450-650mm.

(iii) Population and nationalities

As of 2005, the total population of the province was 38.168 million. Besides Han, there are 48 minority groups, such as Manchu, Korean, Mongol and Hezhe.

(iv) Infrastructure Facilities and Communications

Communications

In terms of communications and transport, a comprehensive network of land, water and air, in parallel with the pipeline system, has been established. At present, there are 5,464 kilometers of railways in operation, making Heilongjiang one of the regions with higher railroad density in China, The main road network has been formed linking up major cities in the province with high-class roads in the shape of“ OK” and featured by“ one ring and five extensions”. The total mileage of roads in Heilongjiang is 67,076 km, including 958 km of highways, 1,118 km of first-class roads and 7,140 km of second-class ones, In terms of water transport, the water transportation network have been established with Heilongjiang River, Songhua River as the mainstay and open ports and with Harbin, Jiamusi, Heihe and Tongjiang and with the key ports, with totally 5,057 km of navigation river way in the province. There are 5 civil airports in Harbin, Qiqihar, Mudanjiang, Jiamusi and Heihe, with all their flight zones above class 4c. To date, Heilongjiang has established 59 air routes, of which 7 are international air routes.

Telecommunication and Internet

The telecommunication network of Heilongjiang is up to the world advanced level, with Harbin as the hub linking up the whole country and the outside world. At present, the total length of the optic fiber cables is 42,663 kilometers in length. Hence, a modern telecommunication framework has been formed, with the optic fiber network as mainstay and microwave network as the auxiliary. Furthermore, the services of program-communication and digitalized transmission have been made available in areas above the township level.

Currently, the communication network system in Heilongjiang is adequate to provide complete, multi-leveled and high quality services, and materialize full coverage in terms of population, territory, and service types. At the end of 2005, there were 10.822 million telephone subscribers, 11.323 million mobile phone subscribers and 1.659 million internet users.

Main Banking Institutions

Finance and Insurance



At present, there are over 6,000 banking outlets and 100,000 employees in banking industry in Heilongjiang province. A complete financial service structure has been formed in the province offering banking, security and insurance service and strongly support the social and economic development in local areas. By the end of 2005, the total deposit balance of foreign currency and RMB in Heilongjiang’s financial institutions amounted to RMB 625.64 billion while the total loan balance amounted to 372.46 billion. Within the province, there are 38 public companies in both domestic and foreign security markets which have totally raised RMB 20.5 billion.

There are 12 insurance companies in Heilongjiang province. In 2005, the total insurance policy income hit RMB 12.764 billion yuan.

(v)Foreign Exchanges

Located in the center of Northeast Asia and the s tarting point of Euro-Asian continental brige, Heilongjiang has established river-sea and land-sea through transport leading to Russia, Japan, DPRK and ROK. The province shares a common borderline of over 3,045 km with Russia and has 25 state first-class ports and 3 mutual trading zones with Russia.

Ever since the reform and opening-up of China ,Heilongjiang has formulated the strategy of“ allying with the south and opening up to the north”.Its opening-up keeps expanding and the international exchanges are becoming more and more frequent. Up to now, Heilongjiang has established twinning relationship with 16 provinces (oblasts, states, counties and prefectures) and 51cities of 18 countries.

Table of Sister Relationships of Heilongjiang Province

Convention & Exhibition

In addition to its bilateral contacts, Heilongjiang is actively committed to multilateral exchanges and collaboration. The province has organized 17 sessions of China Harbin International Fair for Trade and Economic Cooperation, and hosted the Northeast Asia Regional International Seminar on Social Development & Soluition, International Workshop on Skiing Industry, the Northern Forum General Assembly, the Northeast Asia Regional Governments Conference, and other major international events.

(vi)Higher Education and Scientific Research

Recent years have witnessed constant uplifting of scientific and technological innovative capabilities and rapid development of the hi-tech industry, which has gradually constituted a new force in promoting social development of the whole province. Heilongjiang ranks among the top places in the nation in terms of regional innovative capabilities and comprehensive scientific & technological string and the seventh in China in human resources of science and technology.

Heilongjiang possesses a number of research institutes with great technological strength in petrol-chemistry, bio-pharmacy, information technology, electromechanical integration, new materials and new energy, crops breeding and cultivation, dairy processing, as well as aerospace industries. Up to 2005, there are 605 scientific research and development institutions in Heilongjiang province with 1,009 major scientific achievements, 6,050 applied patents 2,906 authorized patents. Some of the scientific achievements have been applied in China’s key projects such as the three-gorges power plant, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Qinghai-Tibet railroad, the West-to-East Gas Transmission project, South-to-North water transmission project and Shenzhou Spaceship building. Some of the achievements hold leading position in China even in the world.

Currently, there are over 100,000 scientific research personnel in the province, of which 71,000 are scientists and engineers working in universities, research institutions and industrial enterprises. In addition, there is a large number of well- trained works as well.

(vii)Tourism

As one of the “national ecological model provinces”, Heilongjiang has in place 9 national nature reserves, 16 provincial nature reserves and 37 national forestry parks, Heilongjiang boasts abundant and unique tourist resources with clear seasonal distinction and is reputed as “cool Province” in china. It is renowned for immense ice and snow, large forests, vast wetlands, big border rivers, large lakes, modernized farming as well as volcanic landscape, urban sceneries, minority folkways and cross-border tourism. Namely, the Jingbo Lake, Wudalianchi (Five-Connected-Lakes), Xingkai Lake, Yichun National Forest Park, Yabuli Ski Resort, Longzhu Erlong Mountain Ski Resort, Jihua Changshou Mountain Ski Resort, Harbin Grand World of Ice and Snow, Ice and Snow Sculptures Show and Ice Lantern Show have all become the renowned summer and winter tourist attractions in China.