Raohe

A border county on the Wusuli River, with border-river views from Dadingzi Mountain, the Sipai Hezhe Ethnic Township, the Xiaonanshan jade-culture site and the home of the Northeast black bee; one of the end points of a remote Northeast road trip.

Raohe County is in eastern Heilongjiang, at the far eastern tip of Shuangyashan, on the left bank of the middle Wusuli (Ussuri) River, facing Pokrovka in Russia across the water, with a border port at Raohe. The county seat is about 250 km from Shuangyashan and 300 km from Jiamusi and can be reached by car via Jiansanjiang and Baoqing; Jiansanjiang and Jiamusi have airports. Most sights are around the county seat: the riverside park and border-river night market look across to the lights on the far bank, and in summer and autumn you can take a boat on the Wusuli River; Xiaonanshan, south of town, has yielded jade artifacts about 9,000 years old, with an anti-Japanese guerrilla monument on top and the Raohe County Museum at its foot; Sipai Hezhe Ethnic Township, 18 km north, is the birthplace of the "Song of the Wusuli Boatmen," where you can see fish-skin crafts and try an all-fish banquet; Dadingzi Mountain to the northwest is a sacred mountain of the Hezhe people with views over the border river from the summit; and Xiaonanhe Village in Xilinzi Township showcases northeastern folk customs. Raohe is home to the Northeast Black Bee National Nature Reserve, and linden honey is the must-buy specialty. Zhenbao Island in Hulin, about 60 km south, is often added to itineraries. Jun–Sep is cool and the best time to visit, late Sep brings lovely autumn colors, and winter can drop to −30°C. Carry your ID in the border area and follow border regulations. Allow 2 days; it can be combined with Heixiazi Island in Fuyuan, Hulin and Lake Khanka for a road trip to China's far east.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries