14 Days in Mudanjiang

The riverfront group sculpture recalls the 8 women soldiers of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army who died crossing the Wusihun river in 1938; the park walk downstream opens the fortnight at an even pace.

1. mudanjiang banv toujiang memorial
2. mudanjiang riverfront park

Up North Hill for the memorial tower first, then out to the forest reserve, some 20 kilometres of road — ski runs in winter, fir-and-mushroom paths the rest of the year.

1. mudanjiang north hill park
2. mudanjiang mudanfeng forest

Roughly an hour of rail west, a town that grew up with the Chinese Eastern Railway's works of 1897-1903: the 1903 fan-shaped shed still swings on its turntable, a timber Orthodox church sits under the line, and the Linhai Xueyuan film set waits down the road.

1. mudanjiang hengdaohezi town

Some 2.5 hours of rail east to the land port whose tracks date from 1897 to 1903; the gate park looks straight at the border, and the old railway quarter still keeps its era houses.

1. mudanjiang suifenhe national gate
2. mudanjiang suifenhe cer buildings

The border market stacks its Russian goods crate by crate — chocolate, amber, surplus kit — and the train home still makes Mudanjiang in time for supper.

1. mudanjiang suifenhe border market

Southeast next, and we flag it: a neighbouring-city run of half a day through Jixi out to Mishan, where the border lake spreads wide — the evening belongs to the fishing-village shore.

1. mudanjiang xingkai lake

A border lake of about 4,380 square kilometres shared with Russia; the nature reserve takes the migrating geese and swans of April and October, and summer gives the shallows to swimmers and marsh walks.

1. mudanjiang xingkai lake

Lunch in Jixi on the way home, a slow riverside evening in Mudanjiang, and an easy day for laundry and tickets.

1. mudanjiang riverfront park

The film-set village of the Linhai Xueyuan stories sits in the Hailin woods — stage streets, watchtowers and the ski-and-snow country that gave the novel its title.

1. mudanjiang linhai film set

About 180 kilometres and 3 hours from the city into the Dahailin woods; in season the eaves carry drifts past two metres, and the guesthouse kangs run hot.

1. mudanjiang xuexiang

A full day of lanes, photo posts and the crest trail above the village — in the green months the same tracks run through fern and birch.

1. mudanjiang xuexiang

A last walk before the day visitors, then the road east; the evening goes to a guobaorou table downtown.

1. mudanjiang xuexiang

A morning of markets for the cold-noodle and smoked-sausage counters, a North Hill afternoon, and the optional note for the future: the Jingpo falls line keeps its own pages under jingpohu.

1. mudanjiang riverfront park
2. mudanjiang north hill park

A last look at the river sculpture on the way out, then the train or flight — Harbin lies about two hours northwest by fast rail if the trip grows one more leg.

1. mudanjiang banv toujiang memorial