佳木斯市

Why this place

Jiamusi is in the Sanjiang plain, where three great rivers — the Songhua, Heilongjiang and Ussuri — meet. It is one of the first places in China to see the sun rise, and its plain produces a large share of the country's best japonica rice.

What to see

• Wusu and the easternmost point at Fuyuan, where you can watch the earliest sunrise in China
• The Sanjiang wetlands, immense reed marshes full of cranes and storks
• The Songhua and Heilongjiang river confluences

What to eat

• Sanjiang rice, which is genuinely excellent
• Heilongjiang river fish, including the huge kaluga sturgeon

Best time

June–September; sunrise is around 3am in midsummer at Fuyuan