This aerial photo taken on Aug, 10, 2023 shows part of the Heihe Area of China (Heilongjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Wang Song)
Over the years, Heilongjiang's border cities have evolved from small trading posts in the 1980s to crucial nodes on the Belt and Road, witnessing greater connectivity between China and Russia as enhanced infrastructure fuels trade and people-to-people exchanges.
HARBIN/BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua) -- On the frontier of high-level connectivity between the two sides, Chinese cities, like buttons sewn onto the 4,300-km-long shared border with Russia, fasten the two countries together.
Though far from the bustle of metropolises and blanketed in snow for nearly half of the year, the border cities in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province exude an international flair, blending cultural characteristics from both sides. Russian shoppers lug bulging bags through streets lined with bilingual signs, where thickly accented Mandarin hums with bursts of Russian.
Over the years, Heilongjiang's border cities have evolved from small trading posts in the 1980s to crucial nodes on the Belt and Road, witnessing greater connectivity between China and Russia as enhanced infrastructure fuels trade and people-to-people exchanges.
PORT, BRIDGE AND GREATER CONNECTIVITY
Every day, trucks and tourist buses cross back and forth through the busy highway port between Suifenhe, China's northeastern gateway, and Pogranichny in Russia's Primorsky Krai.
Russian seafood, soybeans and honey entering through Suifenhe make their way to dinner tables in Heilongjiang's capital Harbin, Shanghai and as far south as Guangzhou in south China's Guangdong Province. Tourists follow a similar route.
People shop at a Chinese market at Blagoveshchensk, Russia, July 25, 2023. (Photo by Guo Feizhou/Xinhua)
At Qingyun Market, a commercial complex mainly targeting foreign consumers, Russian tourist Tatyana, who did not reveil her full name, told Xinhua that her family visits Suifenhe every year. "It has become a regular stop for us," she said. "Sometimes we start here, then head to Dalian or down to Shanghai for a holiday."
According to local customs authorities, cargo volume at the Suifenhe highway port reached a historic high of 1.23 million tons, surpassed 1 million tons for the first time in 2024. In the first quarter of 2025, the daily average number of vehicles passing through the port has remained around 300, an increase of nearly 50 vehicles per day compared to the daily average in 2024.
Meanwhile, Primorsky Krai is also enhancing its border infrastructure. Konstantin Sidorenko, the region's minister for international and foreign economic relations, told Xinhua that Pogranichny will expand its land port to 22 lanes, with the capacity to process up to 1,300 vehicles each day by the end of this year.
Pogranichny is also set to introduce an electronic queuing system, he added, as broader transport and logistics projects will roll out across Primorsky Krai -- part of a push to meet President Vladimir Putin's goal of cutting border inspection time to under 10 minutes.
"Once the projects are completed, freight and passenger throughput at the port is expected to increase significantly," Sidorenko said.
An aerial drone photo taken on Aug. 11, 2023 shows the Heihe-Blagoveshchensk cross-border highway bridge as seen from the city of Heihe, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Wang Song)
Heihe, another small border city in Heilongjiang Province and the closest Chinese city to Russia, saw the opening of the first cross-border highway bridge between the two countries -- the Heihe-Blagoveshchensk cross-border highway bridge.
Before its construction, port operations limited border-crossing to 240 days annually due to the river's frozen winters. Opened to traffic in 2022, the bridge was built with special steel that can resist corrosion and withstand temperatures as low as minus 60 degrees Celsius, guaranteeing full-year operations unfazed by rising waters or withering snowstorms.
The enhanced connectivity, combined with Heihe's resumption of mutual visa-free group tours with Russia in September 2023, has driven a surge in cross-border travel. According to border authorities, the city saw 850,180 people cross the border in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 127 percent.
Deputy Minister of Transport and Road Facilities of Russia's Amur Region Svetlana Popova said the highway bridge has become "a symbol of China-Russia friendship," connecting the two sides and bringing "the hearts of the people from both sides closer together."
Russians wait for clearance at a pass in the city of Heihe, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Aug. 11, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Song)
FROM OFFLINE TRADE TO E-COMMERCE
Thanks to convenient border-crossing transportation, the total trade value between Heilongjiang Province and Russia reached 234.12 billion yuan (32.2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2024, marking an 11.2 percent increase year-on-year, according to Harbin Customs.
"The cross-border highway bridge has greatly boosted transport efficiency and cut costs for our business," said Sun Li, general manager of Heihe Fangshengyuan Trading Co. Ltd., which specializes in fruit and vegetable exports.
Every day, Sun oversees shipments of blueberries from Liaoning, tomatoes from Shandong and chocolate navel oranges from Sichuan as they arrive at a warehouse in Heihe's free trade zone, destined for store shelves across Russia.
"Our products are mainly destined for Blagoveshchensk in the Amur Oblast and Yakutsk in the Sakha Republic," Sun told Xinhua. "We load about 10 truckloads a day, roughly 200 tons of goods."
Goods from China are pictured at a warehouse in the Kanikurgan Customs and Logistics Terminal in Blagoveshchensk, Russia, March 21, 2025. (Photo by Guo Feizhou/Xinhua)
The smooth cross-border travel also allows Russians to purchase these fruits in Heihe's morning market, along with a variety of local breakfast choices not commonly found back home.
Olya, a Russian citizen from Magadan in northeast Russia, was buying mulberries at the morning market. She told Xinhua that she has visited the market multiple times. "I live up north, and we don't have fruits like these, so I find it very interesting," she said, adding that she usually pays with her smartphone.
Meanwhile, trade with Russia is also in full swing in Suifenhe, where total trade value hit 25.36 billion yuan (3.49 billion dollars), pushing China's share of Primorsky Krai's foreign trade to 68.7 percent.
While traditional trade sectors such as general trade and small-scale border trade remained stable, cross-border e-commerce saw a surge in the city to 2.44 billion yuan (340 million dollars), up 6.2 times.
Inside the Russ Empire, the largest Russian goods distribution center in Suifenhe, staff members were livestreaming on short-form video platforms, promoting food to Chinese consumers. Nearby, workers were busy packing goods, ready to be shipped across the country through logistics networks.
"This Russian honey is smooth and sweet, with a fragrant floral taste. If you're interested, click the link below," a livestream host told online viewers on camera.
Zhang Jiaqing, manager of Russ Empire Commercial Management Co. Ltd., told Xinhua that the mall primarily focuses on selling imported Russian goods, drawing both tourists and visiting merchants seeking potential partnerships with local businesses.
"We currently host over 220 foreign trade companies, offering over 2,500 types of products imported directly from Russia," Zhang said. "In recent years, with the rise of e-commerce livestreaming, our business has shifted to online platforms."
"We now provide services like livestreaming training and platform resource matching. The growth in cross-border e-commerce has been a game-changer for us," Zhang noted. "It's opened up new markets and brought in more customers than ever before."
A Russian man receives cupping treatment at a nursing home in Wudalianchi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Oct. 21, 2016. (Xinhua/Wu Zhuang)
MEDICAL CARE PLUS TOURISM
Improved connectivity has also boosted medical tourism in these border cities. Waves of Russian visitors come to experience traditional Chinese medicine. They often combine their treatments with leisure activities.
Liu Ximing, the person in charge of the National Traditional Chinese Medicine Service Export Base, Suifenhe People's Hospital, said the influx of Russian patients has grown in recent years, reaching 10,000 last year, with many returning in increasing numbers. "A third of them came to experience traditional Chinese medical treatments," and 80 to 90 percent are regulars, he said.
"They came in tourist groups, seeking medical care while also enjoying some sightseeing. With affordable medical services and commercial goods, receiving treatments in China is generally more cost-effective, attracting many Russian visitors," Liu told Xinhua.
Medical tourism has also become increasingly popular in Heihe.
At the Heihe Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the fragrant aroma of herbs fills the air. Every sign is displayed in both Chinese and Russian.
Hospital chief Liu Xuesong told Xinhua that the hospital established an international clinic last year due to an increasing number of Russian patients.
"We treated around 600 Russian patients in 2024," he said. "Most of them came for physical check-ups and chronic conditions such as neck, shoulder and back pains."
Liu said the patients came here for massages and herbal remedies. "We prescribed over 300 herbal formulas last year for the Russians. Some even take the herbs back to Russia with them."
Lylia, a Russian student who did not reveal her full name, said traditional Chinese medicine is a "novel experience" for her. She praised the convenience of visiting Heihe for medical care. "I can also shop and enjoy Chinese cuisine at the same time," she said.
Gong Bo, deputy general manager of Heihe Workers International Travel Agency, said medical tourism has boosted Heihe's tourism sector.
She said that in 2024, the number of border tourists and total spending rose by 128 percent and 125 percent year-on-year respectively, citing data from Heihe's Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism. Gong said the travel agency alone brought over 20,000 tourists to China.
"As a small city, Heihe is packed with hotels," Gong said, noting that chains like Hilton Garden Inn and Ibis have all sprung up to house visitors. "In high seasons, hotels need to be booked three to five days in advance," she added.
A single purchase
