Family Trip to Northeast China with Parents 2019

The three northeastern provinces refer to China's Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning. Heilongjiang is China's northernmost province. My eldest aunt, second aunt, and uncle, during that special era, responded to the national call and, as Shanghai educated youths, lived and worked on that cold black soil for over a decade. It was there that they met my eldest uncle-in-law and second uncle-in-law, also Shanghai educated youths, and fell in love and married. After graduating from Beihang University (Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics), my father was assigned to work at the Shenyang Aircraft Manufacturing Factory for a few years. Thus, revisiting these places was our initial purpose for this trip. After some planning, we laid out our itinerary: a total of 20 days, covering all three northeastern provinces, integrating the three mainstream travel modes: self-driving, group tour, and independent travel. Phase 1: Self-driving—visiting Hutou Fortress, Dongfanghong Wetland, Zhenbao Island, Xingkai Lake, Jingpo Lake, and Chaihe Little Jiuzhaigou in Heilongjiang Province. Phase 2: Group tour—joining a Ctrip group to visit Harbin City in Heilongjiang Province and Tianchi Lake on Changbai Mountain in Jilin Province. Phase 3: Independent travel—using the increasingly developed high-speed rail, urban metro public transport, and car rental to visit Changchun City in Jilin Province, Shenyang City, and Dalian City in Liaoning Province. The entire trip would utilize almost all current means of transportation: airplanes, high-speed rail, bullet trains, green-skinned trains, cars, and cruise ships. Members: my father and mother, eldest aunt and uncle-in-law, second aunt and uncle-in-law, uncle and aunt, plus my wife and me—a total of 10, forming our family tour group. Considering the advanced age of the elders and concerns about the extreme cold if we visited in winter, we finally chose to depart in summer.

D1: Early morning on August 23, our group of 10 took a Shanghai Airlines flight, stopped over in Qingdao, and arrived at Jixi Xingkai Lake Airport in Heilongjiang around noon. Friends from the farm where my eldest aunt used to work had already been waiting at the airport with three cars. After brief and warm greetings, we drove for nearly two hours to our first destination: the 854 Farm in Yingchun Town.

After checking into the hotel, accompanied by the "second-generation farmers" of the farm, we visited the farm's bear bile pharmaceutical factory. There we saw an incredible number of black bears—more than any zoo could show—and witnessed the extraction of bear bile, which was not as cruel as some reports had suggested. The black bears happily drank their favorite honey water while being extracted.

The first group photo of the elderly tour group. The oldest member was 80 years old (my father).

In the evening, the farm specially organized a warm welcome party. New and old friends gathered joyously; it was lively and extraordinary. This was my first personal experience of the warm hospitality of the people in Northeast China. My eldest aunt gave a thank-you speech on behalf of our family.

D2: Starting our first-phase self-driving itinerary. Our group of 10 split into two cars. I drove one, while my 73-year-old eldest uncle-in-law took the wheel for the other, with my 80-year-old father as co-driver. The two veterans took turns driving, cooperating seamlessly, still vigorous despite their age.

Hutou Fortress: Located on the Wusuli River in Hutou Town, Hulin City, Heilongjiang Province. It was a military base built by the Japanese Kwantung Army along the former Sino-Soviet border during the invasion of China, known as the "Oriental Maginot Line." After Japan announced its surrender on August 15, 1945, the garrison refused to surrender and was finally captured by the Soviet army on August 26.

Eight group members posed for a photo in front of the monument marking the end of World War II.

Beside Hutou Fortress lies the Sino-Russian border river, the Wusuli River. A monument marking the starting point of the Wusuli River stands by the riverbank.

The Sino-Russian border marker on the Wusuli River, and the Russian border watchtower on the opposite bank.

D3: We originally planned to visit Fuyuan City, known as China's easternmost point. However, due to severe local flooding caused by heavy rain in the previous period, my eldest aunt's friend in Fuyuan informed us in advance that the flood situation there was serious. Heixiazi Island (Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island), which we had planned to visit, was submerged. So we had to change our plans. Not far from the farm, there is a place once known to every household: Zhenbao Island. Before departure, friends had told us it was also flooded, and a permit from relevant authorities was needed to land. But for my parents' generation and mine, the island is too famous, so we decided to go anyway. En route, we passed the Stone Sea Park in Dongfanghong Wetland, formed by natural rocks accumulated over 100 million years.

We climbed up the wooden boardwalk step by step.

We reached the three-story observation tower on the hilltop and looked far into the distance.

We encountered a wild snake sunbathing on the path—absolutely original ecology!

The Zhenbao Island dock was flooded.

D4: If the previous two days of self-driving were just practice for the two veterans, today's 500+ km long-distance trip was a real test. After breakfast, we temporarily left the farm and drove to Mudanjiang City, passing Xingkai Lake scenic area. Xingkai Lake was originally an inland lake of China. In 1860, it was forcibly ceded to Russia by the Treaty of Peking. Now it is a Sino-Russian border lake; the northern third belongs to China.

In the 1950s, General Wang Zhen led 100,000 soldiers to develop the Great Northern Wilderness here. In 1968, a large number of educated youths also came here to reclaim the land together with the demobilized soldiers. To commemorate these builders, the Great Northern Wilderness Reclamation Memorial Hall was built. We followed the elders as they recalled those hard and heroic days. Five "wilderness friends" took a photo in front of the monument.

In the afternoon, we passed through Lianzhushan Town. Relying on memory, after some searching, we finally found the house where my eldest aunt and uncle had lived over forty years ago.

D5: Jingpo Lake: The largest volcanic barrier lake in China and the second largest in the world. Located less than 100 km from Mudanjiang City. At the outlet of the lake, steep cliffs cause water to rush down, forming the majestic Jingpo Lake waterfall, commonly known as "Diaoshuilou."

My mother-in-law and wife posing with the waterfall in the background.

We boarded a sightseeing boat and leisurely enjoyed the lakeside scenery.

A playful old rascal.

Since Jingpo Lake is a volcanic barrier lake, there must be volcanoes nearby. We then visited the Crater Forest scenic area. The volcano is now dormant; its last eruption occurred about 2,500 years ago. The largest eruption, about 5,500 years ago, produced cooled magma that formed a dam blocking the surging Mudan River, creating present-day Jingpo Lake. Over thousands of years, trees have grown on the inner walls of the crater, forming a forest.

Going deeper into the volcano, we could still faintly see traces left by the eruption.

Heading towards the bottom of the volcano.

A group photo of the climb.

D6: As familiar names like Weihu Mountain, Jiapigou, Naitou Mountain appeared before us, we couldn't help but recall the story of the lone hero Yang Zilong. The bandit's den in "Tracks in the Snowy Forest" has now become a tourist attraction—Chaihe Little Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area.

Dense forests, winding streams, fresh air, quiet and pristine natural environment.

D7: Today we drove nearly 400 km from Mudanjiang back to the farm. Before departure, we tasted a quintessential Northeastern dish: iron pot stew (tie guo dun), with two large iron pots on the table.

On the way back, we were lucky to encounter two rainbows. The black soil fields stretched endlessly with crops, offering a superb view.

D8: This afternoon, we would leave the farm for Harbin. Early in the morning, before leaving, we visited the 854 Modern Agricultural Park on the farm.

The weather was bad, with insufficient light; we took an aerial shot of the agricultural science park before the rain.

We braved the rain to visit the former residence of my eldest aunt and second aunt when they were in the company. Their youth was spent there.

At noon, warm Northeastern fellow villagers held a farewell feast for us. This big table of food.

A particularly meaningful gift: the sentiment is heavy though the gift is light—a lifetime (cup) of family and friendship, with gratitude.

In the afternoon, we boarded a train to Harbin. In this era of high-speed rail, the green-skinned train is full of nostalgia.

D9: We arrived at Harbin Xiangfang Station at 6 a.m. Several of my uncle's old friends in Harbin were already waiting at the station with cars. They took us to breakfast. Watching them gather, catch up, and chat freely, time flew, seasons changed; may youth never fade!

Then we visited the site of Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army. The heinous crimes of the Japanese army filled us with immense grief and anger.

After lunch, featuring authentic Northeastern dumplings, we checked into the JW Marriott Hotel Harbin. After a short rest, we once again experienced warm hospitality from Harbin folks at dinner.

D10: Today officially began the second phase of our group tour: Harbin-Changbai Mountain-Changchun. We checked in at the Harbin Grand Theater.

We took the Songhua River cable car to the Russian-style town.

While taking the ferry to the Songhua River Railway Bridge, we saw an artificial rainbow.

My parents beside the Songhua River Railway Bridge.

The old bridge has become a tourist attraction. The new white arched steel bridge on the right has taken over its function.

We took a group photo in front of the famous Saint Sophia Cathedral.

On Central Street, we had authentic, unwrapped Modern ice cream bars.

Dinner at the riverside restaurant in the sunset on the Songhua River—Russian-style beef steak Western meal.

D11: Early this morning, we took the bullet train from Harbin and arrived at Dunhua, Jilin at noon. Then we took a bus to the North Slope scenic area of Changbai Mountain. We checked into the Changbaishan Hotspring Crown Holiday Hotel, enjoyed a comfortable hot spring bath, and recharged our energy to see Tianchi Lake on Changbai Mountain the next day.

D12: Changbai Mountain Tianchi: The main peak of Changbai Mountain is a dormant volcano. The conical top of the crater collects water to form a lake, surrounded by 16 peaks. Due to high altitude and changeable weather, only about 100 days a year allow a clear view of Tianchi. It is a rare encounter. Heaven specially favored our elderly tour group. Blue sky, white clouds, a mirror of the sky—it added the most stunning touch to our Northeastern trip. Perfect!

Tianchi is also a Sino-North Korean border lake. On the opposite slope, a small path leads to North Korea.

The outlet of Tianchi: Changbai Waterfall.

Steaming hot springs.

Quiet Green Abyss Pool.

After descending, we arrived at the West Slope resort area of Changbai Mountain—Wanda Town. We checked into the Park Hyatt Changbaishan.

D13: Wanda Town is a ski resort. Winter is the peak season, while summer has fewer tourists and is quiet. We relaxed in the morning, sleeping in comfortably. The old members couldn't sit still and strolled around the town. After lunch, we took a bus to Changchun. In the evening, we checked into the Hyatt Regency Changchun. This concluded the second phase of our group tour. Tomorrow, we would start our final independent travel segment: Changchun-Shenyang-Dalian.

D14: In the morning, we visited the Puppet Manchurian Palace in Changchun. The last emperor, Puyi, was enthroned and dethroned three times. The Puppet Manchurian Palace was his residence when he was enthroned for the third time as the puppet emperor of Manchukuo.

Photos of Empress Wanrong and Consort Wenxiu.

In the afternoon, we took the high-speed rail from Changchun and arrived in Shenyang in just one hour. The speed of China's high-speed rail is truly impressive. After checking into the hotel, we went to Shenyang's famous commercial street—Zhong Street.

D15: Shenyang Imperial Palace: The capital of the Qing Dynasty before they entered the Shanhai Pass. Although its area and architectural scale cannot compare with the Forbidden City in Beijing, one can vaguely see its prototype.

After lunch, I accompanied my father to visit the place where he worked and lived over fifty years ago. At that time, I didn't even exist. With this, all our important goals for this trip were successfully achieved.

I had to take a photo to commemorate.

The single dormitory he once lived in.

D16: Zhao Mausoleum (Qing Zhaoling), commonly known as Shenyang Beiling, is the mausoleum of the second Qing emperor, Huang Taiji, and his empress.

The whole group took a group photo with Huang Taiji's statue.

After lunch, we visited the SAC (Shenyang Aircraft Corporation) Aviation Expo Park. SAC is the earliest factory in New China to produce fighter jets. Here we could see various types of retired aircraft.

We listened attentively to my father's impromptu explanation as a "part-time guide."

My mother happily took off—photo with arm stretched out.

My wife waved triumphantly like returning in victory.

D17: In the morning, we visited Zhang's Mansion, the residence of General Zhang Xueliang and his father Zhang Zuolin, the "King of the Northeast." This three-courtyard compound and its large and small blue buildings were iconic structures of Northeast China at that time. In the afternoon, we once again experienced the speed of China's high-speed rail and arrived at the beautiful coastal city—Dalian, our final stop.

A statue of General Zhang Xueliang stands in the square.

D18: The trip was nearing its end. Considering the advanced age of the group members and the relatively long duration of the trip, we specially rented a van in Dalian for transportation.

Although it was sunny in Dalian today, the haze was severe with poor visibility. After breakfast, I drove east along Dalian's most famous coastal road, passing Black Reef, Xinghai Square, Fujiazhuang, North Bridge, Yanwo Ridge, Tiger Beach, and finally arriving at Bangchui Island. On the return trip, we took the Xinghai Bay double-deck cross-sea bridge, with the upper level heading west and the lower level heading east—an ingenious design.

D19: Today we drove to Lushun Naval Port and Baiyu Mountain, the commanding height of the naval port. After a short winding mountain road, we reached the top and could overlook the entire port.

A group of old rascals happily playing with white pigeons in front of the lighthouse.

After descending, we visited the former site of the Russo-Japanese Prison.

While having lunch by the naval port, we took close-up photos of the mighty Chinese Navy warships.

After lunch, we visited the Submarine Museum.

We went inside the submarine for a tour.

With this, our entire itinerary concluded. The next day we would return to Shanghai, the magic city.

This trip successfully fulfilled my father, uncles, and aunts' wish to revisit old places, as well as my personal wish to see the black soil of Northeast China. In the future, I will arrange another time in winter to experience the snow-covered, silver-white Northeast!