Bordering Russia, Inner Mongolia and Jilin province, China's northernmost province is known to travelers largely thanks to the otherworldly Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival (Jan 5-Feb 5 yearly), where you can wander a fanciful frozen city featuring crystalline castles, giant ice slides, world landmarks from the Taj Mahal to Beijing's Bird's Nest, a 24-meter tall frosty Santa and over 2,000 other amazing ice sculptures, all lit up at night in every color of the rainbow.
Heilongjiang's growing reputation as a winter wonderland is enhanced by the presence of China's best ski resorts, the Harbin Ice Lantern Festival, and an infusion of Russian culture that is reflected in the region's architecture and cuisine. The province, whose Chinese name translates to "black dragon river"—an evocative name for the snaking and often snowbound waterway that forms Heilongjiang's northern border with Russia—long served as a key industrial base thanks to its great mineral and oil wealth, though, as in much of Dongbei (China's northwest region), heavy industry has declined since China's initiation of reform and opening.
This decline has seen a significant rise in the tourism industry, as the province looks to capitalize on its unique cultural heritage, skiing and natural beauty. Still, easily accessible attractions beyond Harbin and are limited, though outdoor enthusiasts will revel in the vast expanses of forest and lakes, including gems like Jingpo Hu (Mirror Lake), the Wudalian Chi volcanic region and the world-renowned bird refuge of Zhalong Nature Reserve near Qiqihar, an extensive marshland frequented by nine of the world's fifteen species of cranes. Siberian tiger fans can view and even feed this rare cat in the world's largest Siberian Tiger reserve.
When it comes to skiing, the main attraction is definitely the Yabuli Ski Resort, just three hours southwest of Harbin, which hosts the annual Heilongjiang International Ski Festival from December 5 to January 5. Boasting over 3,800 meters of slopes on the south face of Guokui Mountain, Yabuli is presently serviced by six lifts.
From Heilongjiang you can move on to Russia via the Trans-Siberian train, which passes through Harbin every Friday. If the romance of the train isn't your thing, Harbin serves as the region's international air hub.
Ancient Heilongjiang was inhabited by tribal peoples such as the Xianbei and the Khitan, proto-Mongolian nomads who used their armored cavalry to subdue the Song and establish the Liao Dynasty. The Song allied with the Jurchen Jin in hopes of regaining their lost territory, but these Altaic ancestors to the Manchu betrayed the Song and founded their own dynasty (1115-1234). It would last until Genghis Khan rode through on the way to conquering most of the known world at the time and laying the foundation for the Yuan Dynasty.
Eventually, the Jurchen Jin's descendents, the Manchus, would have more luck ruling China, extending China's borders all the way from the Stanovoy Mountains in the Russian Far East to the Sea of Japan. That is, until the Russians regained the territory after the signing of the Treaty of Aigun. The remaining area, then part of the region known as Manchuria, was closed off to Han Chinese migration until 1860.
In 1932, Manchuria became the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo and the region constituting modern-day Heilongjiang would not be free of Japanese rule until the empire's defeat in 1945. With Soviet aid, Heilongjiang became the first province to be fully controlled by the Chinese communists.
Heilongjiang would become the Communists’ industrial base, providing them with the machinery, weapons and resources they would need to win the Chinese Civil War. Today, though the province's economy is booming along with the rest of China's, fueling employment for Heilongjiang's Manchu, Korean, Mongol, Hui, Daur and Xibe minorities, privatization of State Operated Enterprises has resulted in hard times for many, widening the gap between rich and poor.
Heilongjiang is subarctic. Winters are long and frigid, with low temperatures averaging −31 to −15°C in January. It's a fairly dry cold, temperatures can be mitigated with proper attire. Layers and boots are advised, and don't be surprised if you find yourself purchasing a heavy coat and some extra pairs of long underwear if you hit the Harbin Ice Festival. Summers are short and cool, with average high temperatures ranging between 18 to 23°C in July. Rains usually fall in the summer and average between 500 to 600mm a year.