Jiamusi

Jiamusi lies in far eastern Heilongjiang on the Songhua River, near where it joins the Amur, and is one of the easternmost cities in China, a place that markets itself as 'where the sun first rises on the country.' It is the gateway to the vast Sanjiang Plain, formed by the Songhua, Heilong and Ussuri rivers, whose marshes are internationally important wetlands rich in migratory birds. The region is the historic homeland of the small Hezhe (Nanai) people, traditionally fishers of the rivers, whose raw-fish dishes remain a local specialty. Further east, Heixiazi Island on the Russian border was divided between the two countries in 2008 and is now an eco-tourism site. Jiamusi is a farm-machinery and agricultural center served by its own airport and rail links to Harbin.