鸡西市

Why this place

Jixi is a coal-mining city in eastern Heilongjiang, close to the Russian border and to Khanka Lake, a vast wetland lake shared with Russia that is one of the richest bird habitats in northeast Asia.

What to see

• Khanka (Xingkai) Lake — huge reed wetlands and enormous numbers of migratory birds
• The Ussuri River border country, with its forests and wetlands
• Hutou Fortress nearby, a Second World War Japanese border fortress complex

What to eat

• Northeast stews, pickles and dumplings
• Freshwater fish from the Ussuri and Khanka

Best time

May and September–October for birds; July–August for green marsh