Hailar & Manzhouli

Located in the northern reaches of Inner Mongolia, Hailar is the largest city in the Hulunbuir Prefecture, with a total population of around 220,000 and an area of 1440 square kilometers. The city, as befits its remoteness, is not the most exciting of places, a mainly industrial and agricultural area that sees few tourists. However, the areas outside of the city are interesting, including the grasslands area, that holds the impressive Hulun Lake, and the small border town of Manzhouli, that is filled with Russian border traders. To the north of Hailar lies a vast expanse of some of China's most rugged areas, good for camping if allowed access, and good for the huge selection of wildlife that can be found here, many in the vast Daxin'anling Forest that spreads on into Heilongjiang.

Manzhouli, about 70km west of Hailar, is a miniscule city with a population of around 150,000 and an area of 696 square kilometers, lying on the Sino-Russian border.

It was the large coal and mineral deposits that were one of the main reasons that this remote outpost became a major stop on the Trans-Siberian railroad that links Beijing and Moscow. Within the city, the Russian influence, apart from the many Russians themselves, is in the restaurants, many of which serve standard Russian fare, and in the architecture, both traditional and Soviet, that is scattered about.

It is not just the town, however, that makes this an interesting stopover point. The area around Manzhouli is one of China's most untouched regions, with verdant grasslands, lushly vegetated woodlands and huge numbers of wildlife. There are two massive lakes that lie to the south, the nearer and more popular Hulun Lake, and the smaller Beier Lake that reaches into the Republic of Mongolia. This is a great place for hiking and getting away from it all, although you may have already experienced this just getting here.

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