The Blagoveshchensk-Heihe highway bridge in Heihe, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province Photo: Xinhua

For expats who live and work in China and don't plan on traveling back home during the Spring Festival holiday, a good alternative to just staying at home is a peaceful and colorful vacation in Heihe, a city in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. 

While it is not a crowded tourist city, Heihe may surprise travelers with its rich natural and cultural resources.  

Fire and ice

The Wudalianchi Scenic Area is located in the southwest part of Heihe. It gets its name Wudalianchi, which roughly translates to "five big connected pools," thanks to the five connected lakes that formed during ancient volcanic eruptions. 

The area is also known as "The Hometown of Chinese Volcanoes and Chinese Mineral Springs." Tourists can appreciate the special landscape and spectacular lake view, then experience some unique accommodations and entertainment venues. 

For example, tourists can enjoy a mineral spring spa to relax and keep healthy. Activities such as river rafting, boating on lakes, camping outside and riding horses are available as well.

Heihe usually holds the annual Wudalianchi Holy Water Festival in June to express local residents' gratitude for the gifts of nature. It stems from a folktale in which a hunter shoots a deer and finds it is healed after bathing and drinking the sparkling water in the lakes. The deer was seen as being sent by some holy spirit to show people the true value of the lakes.

Winter is the best time to visit Heihe because tourists can emerge into a fairy tale snow and ice world. White rime ice is a treat for tourists who fancy trying to endure the ?30 C temperatures in the province's Xunke county. When the waters of the Kuerbin River are heated up as it passes through a hydropower station, fog starts to rise from the surface of the river. This moisture clings to plants and the land and ends up crystallizing into beautiful white structures.  

Delicious local cuisine

Heihe is home to more than 30 ethnic minority groups whose dietary habits have interacted and influenced each other over the centuries. For this reason, regional cuisine is extremely diverse and features the characteristics.  

During Spring Festival in Northeast China, it is customary to butcher a pig to usher in the New Year. Shazhucai (Lit: slaughtered pig dish) is a special cuisine that visitors should try when enjoying the festive atmosphere and local food culture. The dish uses pretty much every part of the pig. Pig's liver, intestines, blood sausage and meat are stewed together with sauerkraut. Preparing shazhucai is usually a whole family business with each person taking on different tasks and enjoying the process of getting the food ready together.

Fish captured from Wudalianchi are renowned for their freshness and large size. A fishing ceremony was held in the area on December 22, 2019, during which time locals prayed for blessings and a good harvest. Fresh cooked fish is a must-have when paying a visit there.

Dumplings are a major festival dish in China. There is a local saying that guests are treated to dumplings when they arrive and noodles when they leave. This is because dumplings are taken as a sign of reunion while noodles signal that you will miss that person after they leave.

If you are interested in learning more about local culture and history, Heihe will not disappoint you either. 

As a city bordering Russia, it stood witness to the signing of a territory ceding treaty in 1858, a time when China was a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. You can learn more about this history by visiting the Aihui Historical Museum. Heihe also used to accept many zhiqing, educated youth who left the cities to work in rural areas during the 1950s. A local museum introduces their lives and accomplishments.

Newspaper headline: Colorful Experience