10 Days in Jixi

A century of coal at Hengshan's park, the museum's regional rooms, then the iced cold-noodle houses downtown.

1. jixi hengshan mining park
2. jixi museum

About 130 km via Mishan to the border lake — 4,380 square kilometres, roughly a third on the Chinese side — and Dangbi town's boardwalks on the southwest shore.

1. jixi xingkai lake
2. jixi dangbi town

The shallow lake behind the sand ridge and the museum of the 6,000-year shore culture excavated in 1972; the big lake freezes from late November, ice fishing December to March.

1. jixi small xingkai lake
2. jixi xinkailiu site

The April-May and September-October passages bring cranes and storks through the marshes in tens of thousands; the carved-stone corridor sits near Mishan.

1. jixi xingkai wetland
2. jixi beidahuang calligraphy corridor

About 150 km southeast: the 1934-1939 fortress complex ended by the August 1945 fighting, with its factual exhibition halls and the border-river promenade; overnight in Hulin.

1. jixi hutou fortress
2. jixi wusuri river hutou

Border-river mist and a fish breakfast, then the road back for a forest loop at Qilin Mountain — skis replace boots December to February.

1. jixi wusuri river hutou
2. jixi qilin mountain

About 80 km west in the neighbouring city that raised short-track champions — Yang Yang took China's first Winter Olympic gold at Salt Lake City in 2002, Wang Meng later collected four — plus the lakeside park.

1. jixi qitaihe champion city
2. jixi taoshan park

A long day into Mudanjiang's county: a lava-dammed lake with the Diaoshuilou falls dropping about 20 metres; three-plus hours each way by road, so start early or go by HSR to Mudanjiang plus a bus.

1. jixi jingpo lake

If you stayed lakeside, take the falls in morning light before the road back; otherwise a Jixi rest day around the market streets.

1. jixi diaoshuilou falls

A last museum pass or market breakfast, then the evening train or the airport run via Jixi West station.

1. jixi museum