Qiqihar is a city in Heilongjiang Province.

Understand

Qiqihar was founded as a walled city in 1691, and for a period the military government of Heilongjiang was based here. For many years, only Manchus were allowed to live in the city, but gradually it transformed to be dominated by Hans. Establishment of the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1903 and later other lines made the city a transportation hub. During 1931-1945 it was an important military base for the Japanese occupation, which helped the city grow in size and importance.

The population of the city is 1.5 million and of the prefecture 6.1 million. The city consists of Longsha District (龙沙区), Tiefeng District (铁锋区) and Jianhua District (建华区), whereas the prefecture further includes 4 districts, 8 counties and 1 city.

Get in

By plane

Flights are available from Beijing, Qingdao and Shanghai (Pudong).

By train

Qiqihar train station

• Bei'an - takes about 3-4 hours, train K382.
• Beijing - takes about 6-7 hours on high-speed (G) trains, 14 hours on Z and T trains.
• Hailar - takes about 6-7 hours on normal express trains (K class).
• Harbin - takes about 3-4 hours by K train, 1-2 hours by G and D trains.

Get around

By bus

Qiqihar has a bus network 齐齐哈尔公交网 (Chinese)

By taxi

Fares start at ¥6, for ¥20 you can cross the city.

See

• Zhalong Nature Reserve (Buses for the reserve leaves from the bus station on Longhua Road (龙华路; Lónghuálù) or from the train station, take around 1 hours and cost ¥5). The reserve is home to lots of birds including cranes. Best visited in April-June, but July-September is possible. ¥20. 
• Longsha Gongyuan (Walk or take bus no. 1 or 2 down Longhua Road). ¥2. 
• Summertime night market (Southern end of 公园路). 6-9pm in the summer. 
• Dacheng temple (大乘寺), Minhang Rd (民航路). Free. 

Do

Not much. But here you can have easier access to train tickets for nicer places in northeastern China because the Qiqihar station is a large transfer hub.

• Look at cranes

There is a national park located in the suburbs of Qiqihar. It is a beautiful grassland with marshes here and there. Qiqihar is famous for its cranes. At a specific time each morning, the park authorities let cranes out of their cages to fly and roam around the park. It's a beautiful sight, make sure you get there early enough to be there when they open the gates.

• Listen to bird songs in the morning

At the coordinates: 47.308044,123.949783 in the morning around sunrise, a group of gentlemen get together and hang bird cages from trees. The birds sing back and forth to each other, it's truly a beautiful experience. There's a roundabout with a park of sorts in the center of it. There's a large statue in the middle - the guys meet around the statue and hang the cages from the trees inside this roundabout.

Eat

• . Qiqihar Barbecue. A local delicacy, the best shop is called Color Life B-B-Q in downtown Qiqihar. 

Drink

Harbin beer and peach juice!! Both are very tasty and refreshing!