Covering an area of 40,600 km2, the city of Mudanjiang ("the Peony River" in Chinese) is located in the southeast of Heilongjiang Province and has a population of 2.68 million. It is the governmental, economic, cultural and transport hub of southeastern Heilongjiang.

Located in a basin, Mudanjiang has a temperate monsoon climate with an annual average temperature of 3.5 C and 126 frost-free days. Annual rainfall averages 550 millimeters. But it is also influenced by the ocean nearby, which distinguishes Mudanjiang's climate from the generally harsh climates of the North China and gives the city the reputation of the "Jiangnan (i.e. the region south to the Yangtze River) in the North" because its warmer Winners and cooler Summers.

Mudanjiang is home to one of Heilongjiang's three largest forests. At present, the total forest area of Mudanjiang is 3.02 million hectares, which covers 68% of the total area of the city.

Mudanjiang is the main transport hub of southeastern Heilongjiang. Within the city are the Harbin-Suifenhe, Mudanjiang-Jamusi and Mudanjiang-Tumen railway lines, national roads 301 and 201 and the Fangzheng-Hulin and Jixi-Tumen county roads, and international road freight transport links with Ussuriysk in Russia have been opened in full. Mudanjiang Airport has 10 domestic routes to such places as Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, Dalian and Tianjin, as well as one international route. Mudanjiang was the first Chinese border city to be opened up. The city is an important transport node for Heilongjiang, with transport links running as far as Vladivostok to the east and the Tumen River in the south, and occupies a position of paramount importance in Northeast Asia's international economic and trade corridors.

Rich in tourism resources, Mudanjiang has crisscross rivers, dense forests, beautiful mountains and a pleasant climate. Lake Jingbo, a world-famous alpine barrier lake, is 109 kilometers south of the city. The lake, 350 meters above the sea level, is like a silver band floating among green mountain ranges.

Mudan Peak - a state-designated nature reserve - is another Mudanjiang's famous scenic attractions. This forest park, which covers an area of 2,500 hectares and is crammed with the characteristic features of primeval forest, was protected 300 years ago as a hunting ground of the Qing emperors. Currently, as well as being a hub for scientific study, this abundantly verdant cornucopia is a summer retreat for tourists.

Other scenic attractions include the Mudanfen Nature Reserve, the Sandaoguan Bear-raising Base, Hengdaohezi Tiger-raising Center, the Monument to the Eight Heroines, Yang Zerong's Memorial Hall, the ruins of Shangjianglongquanfu (the capital of Bohai State in the Tang Dynasty), unique folk customs and attractive ice and snow tours in winter.

Source: CRI.com