Daqing (大庆)

1. Introduction

Daqing City is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Heilongjiang Province, People's Republic of China, located in the southwestern part of Heilongjiang Province. The city borders Qiqihar City to the north, Suihua City and Harbin City to the east, Songyuan City of Jilin Province to the south, and Baicheng City of Jilin Province to the west. Situated in the central-western part of the Songnen Plain, the entire area features low and flat terrain. The Nen River flows along its western and southern boundaries, with numerous marshes and lakes (locally known as "paozi") distributed throughout. The People's Government of Daqing City is located on Shiji Avenue in Sartu District. Daqing is home to China's largest oil field, the Daqing Oil Field. Its pillar industries are primarily petroleum and petrochemicals. In recent years, to develop sustainable industries, the city has also fostered emerging sectors such as automobile manufacturing, metal materials, and biopharmaceuticals.

Daqing is a regional central city within the Harbin-Changchun urban agglomeration. It is recognized as a national service outsourcing demonstration city and one of the first pilot cities for national safe development demonstration cities. The city has received numerous honors, including National Civilized City, National Hygienic City, National Environmental Protection Model City, National Garden City, and China's Excellent Ecological Tourism City. It is acclaimed as the "Green Petrochemical Capital, City of Natural Hundred Lakes, and Hometown of Northern Hot Springs."

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2. History

During the early Qing Dynasty, the Daqing area was a hunting ground for the Dörbet Mongol Banner and had established settlements. In 1898, when the Russian Empire constructed the Chinese Eastern Railway, the Sartu Station was established here. Land reclamation began in 1904, leading to a gradual increase in villages. In 1906, the Anda Fumin Prefecture was established in Renmin Town, Anda, and was renamed Anda County in 1913. After the establishment of Manchukuo, Sartu was renamed Xingren Town. In 1946, the name Sartu was restored. In 1947, the Northeast Administrative Committee established by the Chinese Communist Party set up several pastures in the Sartu area, which were merged into the Red Grassland Pasture in 1955.

In 1955, the Ministry of Geology of the People's Republic of China began planning oil exploration in the Songliao Basin. In June 1958, the Ministry of Petroleum Industry of the People's Republic of China established the Songliao Petroleum Exploration Bureau. That same year, the bureau drilled Songji No. 1 Well in Anda County, Heilongjiang Province, and Songji No. 2 Well in Qianguo County, Jilin Province, both of which failed to produce oil. In October 1958, the benchmark well research team of the Songliao Petroleum Exploration Bureau selected Datong Town in Zhaozhou County as the site for Songji No. 3 Well, which was approved by the Ministry of Petroleum Industry on November 29. On September 26, 1959, Songji No. 3 Well gushed industrial oil flow, successfully discovering the oil field. In November, Ouyang Qin, then the First Secretary of the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, proposed renaming Datong Town to Daqing Town to commemorate the discovery of the oil field on the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and to avoid future naming conflicts with Datong City in Shanxi Province when establishing a city. The Ministry of Petroleum Industry also named the new oil field Daqing Oil Field. Shortly after, Heilongjiang Province designated the original Datong Town and the surrounding oil area as Daqing District.

In 1960, the Ministry of Petroleum Industry launched the Songliao Petroleum Campaign. By the end of April that year, Anda County was abolished and replaced by Anda City, with Daqing District becoming a part of it. From 1964 to 1965, the state decided to adopt a government-enterprise integration system for the Daqing Oil Field. Anda City was abolished, Anda County was restored, and the Anda Special Zone was established to manage the Daqing Oil Field, though it was still referred to externally as Anda City.

On December 14, 1979, the Anda Special Zone was renamed Daqing City and placed under the direct jurisdiction of Heilongjiang Province. On August 21, 1992, the State Council approved the transfer of Lindian County and Dorbod Mongol Autonomous County, originally under Qiqihar City, as well as Zhaozhou County and Zhaoyuan County, originally under the Suihua Prefecture, to Daqing City.

3. Geography

Located between 45°46′ and 46°55′ north latitude and 124°19′ and 125°12′ east longitude, Daqing is approximately 150 kilometers southeast of Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province, and 139 kilometers northwest of Qiqihar. The city covers a total area of 22,161 square kilometers, with the urban area accounting for 5,107 square kilometers. Situated in the western part of the Songnen Plain, Daqing features flat terrain with an average elevation of 146 meters.

3.1 Climate

Daqing experiences a mid-temperate continental monsoon climate. It is characterized by ample sunlight, relatively low precipitation, long and severe winters, and cool summers and autumns. The city's annual average temperature is 4.2°C. The average temperature of the coldest month is -18.5°C, with an extreme low of -39.2°C; the average temperature of the hottest month is 23.3°C, with an extreme high of 39.8°C. The average annual frost-free period lasts 143 days. The average annual wind speed is 3.8 m/s, with approximately 30 days per year experiencing winds stronger than Force 16. Annual precipitation averages 427.5 mm, while annual evaporation is 635 mm, resulting in an annual aridity index of 1.2 and a continentality index of 78.9. The annual sunshine duration is 2,726 hours, and the total annual solar radiation is 491.4 kJ/cm². Daqing possesses abundant natural wetlands, with its wetland area accounting for one-third of the known wetland area in the country.

4. Administrative Divisions

Daqing City currently administers 5 municipal districts, 3 counties, and 1 autonomous county.

• Municipal Districts: Saertu District, Longfeng District, Ranghulu District, Honggang District, Datong District
• Counties: Zhaozhou County, Zhaoyuan County, Lindian County
• Autonomous County: Dorbod Mongol Autonomous County

| Division Code | Division Name | Chinese Pinyin | Area (km²) | Resident Population (2020 Census) | Government Seat | Postal Code | Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | Of which: Ethnic Townships | |-------------------|-------------------|--------------------|----------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------|-----------------|------------------|-----------|---------------|--------------------------------| | 230600 | Daqing City | Daqing Shi | 21,204.82 | 2,781,562 | Saertu District | 163000 | 43 | 31 | 27 | 3 | | 230602 | Saertu District | Saertu Qu | 504.50 | 327,192 | Gelin Subdistrict | 163001 | 11 | | | | | 230603 | Longfeng District | Longfeng Qu | 414.97 | 524,606 | Longzheng Subdistrict | 163711 | 9 | 1 | | | | 230604 | Ranghulu District | Ranghulu Qu | 1,190.46 | 592,603 | Longgang Subdistrict | 163712 | 11 | 1 | | | | 230605 | Honggang District | Honggang Qu | 623.92 | 129,988 | Honggang Subdistrict | 163511 | 6 | 1 | | | | 230606 | Datong District | Datong Qu | 2,371.46 | 180,266 | Heyuan Subdistrict | 163515 | 6 | 4 | 4 | | | 230621 | Zhaozhou County | Zhaozhou Xian | 2,445.51 | 306,036 | Zhaozhou Town | 166400 | | 6 | 6 | | | 230622 | Zhaoyuan County | Zhaoyuan Xian | 4,110.43 | 330,340 | Zhaoyuan Town | 166500 | | 8 | 8 | 3 | | 230623 | Lindian County | Lindian Xian | 3,503.53 | 191,238 | Lindian Town | 166300 | | 5 | 3 | | | 230624 | Dorbod Mongol Autonomous County | Du'erbote Mengguzu Zizhixian | 6,040.04 | 199,293 | Dorbod Town | 166200 | | 5 | 6 | |

5. Economy

Daqing is home to China's largest oil field, the Daqing Oil Field, and serves as a center for the country's petrochemical industry. The industrial chain formed around crude oil processing plays a dominant role in China's petrochemical sector. By 2011, the Daqing Oil Field had cumulatively produced 2.1 billion tons of crude oil. In 2012, the city's GDP totaled 400.05 billion yuan (approximately 63.374 billion USD), with the secondary industry accounting for a high proportion of 80.9%, while the tertiary industry accounted for only 15.3%. The industrial added value reached 315.74 billion yuan, constituting 78.9% of the GDP. The annual output included 40 million tons of crude oil, 3.37 billion cubic meters of natural gas, and 12.865 million tons of processed crude oil. Agriculture and animal husbandry hold significant positions in Daqing's economy. Major grain products include corn, rice, soybeans, and potatoes. The production of milk and the rearing of large livestock such as pigs, cattle, and sheep account for a substantial proportion both within the province and nationally. The total grain output of Daqing City reached 6.5 million tons, including 5.404 million tons of corn, 794,000 tons of rice, 70,000 tons of soybeans, 96,000 tons of sugar beets, and 1.218 million tons of vegetables.

5.1 Petrochemical Industry

The Daqing oil region is one of China's few large oil regions. In addition to petroleum exploration and oil field development, oil refining and the petrochemical industry have developed rapidly. Petrochemical products include over 80 varieties such as fuel oil, lubricants, chemical fibers, fertilizers, and ethylene. With the development of the petroleum industry, other sectors such as building materials, light textiles, plastics, food processing, and equipment manufacturing have also grown.

5.2 Automotive Industry

The Volvo Daqing Vehicle Manufacturing Base is located at No. 33 Longxing Road, High-tech Zone, Daqing City. Daqing Volvo Car Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is a joint venture vehicle production enterprise established by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd. and Volvo Car (China) Investment Co., Ltd. The company began mass production in September 2014. In 2015, it introduced the latest Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform technology developed by Volvo's headquarters in Sweden, achieving modular design and production. The factory's production automation level reaches 70%, with a designed production capacity of one vehicle rolling off the line every two minutes, significantly enhancing cost-effectiveness and product advantages. Daqing Volvo has become one of the most advanced manufacturing bases within the Volvo Car Group globally.

5.3 Agriculture and Animal Husbandry

Daqing has 168,000 hectares of grassland and a well-developed animal husbandry sector. In 2012, the output value of animal husbandry reached 14.77 billion yuan. The city has established multiple pastures for raising dairy cattle, yellow cattle, and Northeast fine-wool sheep. Major agricultural crops include corn, sorghum, soybeans, and rice. Key cash crops are sugar beets, sunflower seeds, Isatis root (Banlangen), and marigolds.

5. Transportation

5.1 Railway

The Binzhou Railway and the Tongrang Railway intersect here, and Daqing is also a node on the Haqi High-Speed Railway. Daqing City has three first-class railway stations: Daqing Station, Daqing West Station, and Daqing East Station. Currently, passenger transport services are primarily handled by Daqing West Station and Daqing East Station.

5.2 Highway

Daqing is located at the intersection of the G10 Suiman Expressway and the G45 Daguang Expressway, making it one of China's highway transportation hubs.

5.3 Aviation

Daqing Sartu Airport was completed and opened for operation on September 1, 2009. China Southern Airlines has an operational base in Daqing. The Sartu Airport terminal is equipped with 4 boarding bridges for close-in aircraft stands, making it the airport with the highest number of close-in stands among regional airports in Heilongjiang Province. Currently, nine major airline operators serve Sartu Airport: China Southern Airlines, Air China, Okay Airways, Shanghai Airlines (codeshare with China Eastern Airlines), China Eastern Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines (codeshare with Air China), Shandong Airlines (codeshare with Air China), Xiamen Airlines, and Dalian Airlines. Sartu Airport is the second operational base for China Southern Airlines' Heilongjiang Branch and the largest regional airport in Heilongjiang. China Southern Airlines has 3 Airbus A-319 aircraft stationed at Sartu Airport.

List of airports currently connected to Daqing:

Beijing Capital, Beijing Daxing, Shanghai Hongqiao, Shanghai Pudong, Guangzhou Baiyun, Shenzhen Bao'an, Hangzhou Xiaoshan, Chengdu Shuangliu, Mudanjiang Hailang, Xi'an Xianyang, Dalian Zhoushuizi, Qingdao Liuting, Sanya Phoenix, Hailar Dongshan, Hohhot Baita, Yichun Lindu, Tianjin Binhai, Shijiazhuang Zhengding, Wuhan Tianhe, Nanjing Lukou, Weihai Dashuibo, Shenyang Taoxian, Nanchang Changbei, Yancheng Nanyang, etc.

5.4 Public Transportation

Bus 808 traveling on Jingliu Street Public buses within Daqing's urban area are operated by three companies: Youcheng Public Transport, Jiaotou Public Transport, and Datong Passenger Transport. Among them, Youcheng Public Transport and Jiaotou Public Transport implement a flat fare system, with ticket prices ranging from 1 to 3 yuan. Passengers can use the "Daqing Youcheng Public Transport Card" or a Transport Union Card to pay, or they can scan QR codes using Alipay or WeChat to pay for their ride.

6. Education

6.1 Undergraduate Institutions

• Northeast Petroleum University
• Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University
• Harbin Medical University Daqing Campus
• Daqing Normal University

6.2 Vocational (Associate Degree) Colleges

• Heilongjiang Vocational College of Commerce
• Daqing Medical College
• Daqing Vocational College

6.3 Key High Schools (Provincial Level)

• Daqing High School
• Daqing No. 1 High School
• Daqing Tieren High School
• Daqing Experimental High School
• Daqing Dongfeng High School
• Daqing No. 4 High School
• Daqing No. 23 High School

7. Population

According to the Seventh National Population Census in 2020, the city's permanent resident population was 2,781,562. Compared with the 2,904,532 people from the Sixth National Population Census, there was a decrease of 122,970 people over the past ten years, a decline of 4.23%, with an average annual growth rate of -0.43%. Among them, the male population was 1,379,294, accounting for 49.59% of the total population; the female population was 1,402,268, accounting for 50.41% of the total population. The overall sex ratio (with females as 100) was 98.36. The population aged 0–14 was 310,589, accounting for 11.17% of the total population; the population aged 15–59 was 1,884,133, accounting for 67.74% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 586,840, accounting for 21.1% of the total population, of which the population aged 65 and above was 398,530, accounting for 14.33% of the total population. The urban population was 2,016,139, accounting for 72.48% of the total population; the rural population was 765,423, accounting for 27.52% of the total population.

7.1 Ethnic Groups

The city has 31 ethnic minorities, among which the Manchu, Mongolian, Korean, Hui, and Xibe ethnic groups have populations exceeding 1,000.

Among the city's permanent resident population, the Han ethnic group population was 2,687,755, accounting for 96.63%; the total population of various ethnic minorities was 93,807, accounting for 3.37%. Compared with the Sixth National Population Census in 2010, the Han ethnic group population decreased by 115,680, a decline of 4.13%, with its proportion of the total population increasing by 0.11 percentage points; the total population of various ethnic minorities decreased by 7,290, a decline of 7.21%, with its proportion of the total population decreasing by 0.11 percentage points. Among them, the Mongolian ethnic group population decreased by 11,866, a decline of 18.44%, with its proportion of the total population decreasing by 0.33 percentage points; the Manchu ethnic group population increased by 788, a growth of 3.46%, with its proportion of the total population increasing by 0.06 percentage points; the Korean ethnic group population increased by 2,190, a growth of 40.3%, with its proportion of the total population increasing by 0.09 percentage points.

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8. Sister Cities

8.1 People's Republic of China:

• Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region - Karamay City
• Shandong Province - Dongying City

8.2 Other Countries and Regions:

• Canada - Calgary (May 16, 1985)
• Russia - Tyumen (June 24, 1992)
• Australia - Charters Towers (September 29, 2000)
• South Africa - East London (June 14, 2001)
• South Korea - Chungju (April 2008)

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Saertu District

Ranghulu District

Han Chinese population accounts for 96.63%; ethnic minority populations account for 3.37%

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