Hegang (鹤岗)

1. Introduction

Hegang City is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Heilongjiang Province, People's Republic of China, located in the northern part of Heilongjiang Province. The city borders Yichun City to the west, faces Jiamusi City across the Songhua River to the southeast, and borders Birobidzhan in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast of Russia across the Heilongjiang River to the north. Situated at the junction of the Sanjiang Plain and the Lesser Khingan Mountains, the terrain is higher in the west and lower in the east. The city is surrounded by the Heilongjiang River and Songhua River on the north, east, and south sides, with the Wutong River and Dulu River, tributaries on the left bank of the Songhua River, in the west, and the Jiayin River, a tributary on the right bank of the Heilongjiang River, in the north. It is one of the four major coal cities in Heilongjiang Province. The People's Government of the city is located at No. 1 Youyi Road, Xiangyang District.

2. Origin of the Place Name

In the 34th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1908), plans were made to establish Hegang County at Heligang.

3. History

During the Qing Dynasty, it was the Heli Town under the jurisdiction of Tangyuan County.

In 1908, plans were made to establish Heli County here, but it was never realized due to various reasons.

In 1914, coal seams were discovered here. Shen Songnian and others applied to the government and obtained mining rights.

In 1918, coal mining began. In the same year, General Bao Guiqing and the Director of the Finance Department established the Hegang Coal Mining Co., Ltd., with plans to expand the mining area and lay a light railway from the mine to the Songhua River bank.

In March 1929, the Hegang Coal Mining Company's mine office appointed a street base administrator to manage street affairs, marking the establishment of governance in the mining area, which was named Xingshan Town.

In 1938, the Japanese army changed Xingshan Town to Xingshan Street, under the jurisdiction of Tangyuan County.

In June 1939, during the administrative reform of Manchukuo, Heli County was established from parts of Tangyuan and Luobei counties, under the jurisdiction of Sanjiang Province. In February 1944, Xingshan Street was renamed Hegang Street.

In August 1945, Operation August Storm began. On the morning of August 11, troops of the 15th Army of the Soviet Union's Far East 2nd Front launched attacks on Luobei County, Xingshan Town, Fujin County, Jiamusi City, and other areas. On the same day, they had already approached the outskirts of Xingshan Town. On August 14, the 15th Army troops advanced from the Xingshan Town area toward Heligang (now Heli Town in Tangyuan County). Following the Soviet army's entry, the Chinese Communist regime established Xingshan City on December 20, which was successively under the jurisdiction of Heli County, Hejiang Province, and Songjiang Province.

On June 5, 1947, the National Government announced the "New Provincial District Plan for Northeast China," in which Heli County was designated as a county under Hejiang Province. Therefore, the "Brief Table of Administrative Regions of the Republic of China" edited by the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of China the following year stated that it was "approved to be established from Tangyuan County." The county seat was located in Heligang.

On November 24, 1949, Xingshan City was renamed Hegang City, a city under the jurisdiction of Songjiang Province. In 1954, Hegang City became a city under the jurisdiction of Heilongjiang Province. In 1958, Hegang City was placed under the leadership of the Hejiang Special District Administrative Office. In 1966, Hegang City was directly administered by Heilongjiang Province.

On April 24, 1980, the Heilongjiang Provincial People's Government approved the following changes: the abolition of Dongfeng District and Yuejin District in Hegang City, and the establishment of Nanshan District; the abolition of Qunli District and Fanxiu District in Hegang City, and the establishment of Dongshan District; Hongwei District was renamed Xingshan District; and Hongqi District was renamed Xing'an District.

On November 6, 1987, the State Council approved (State Letter [1997] No. 177) the transfer of Luobei County and Suibin County from Jiamusi City to Hegang City.

In December 2021, Hegang City canceled civil servant recruitment due to the implementation of a "fiscal restructuring plan."

4. Geography

Hegang City is situated in the transitional zone between the Lesser Khingan Mountains and the Sanjiang Plain, featuring flat terrain suitable for crop cultivation.

Hegang experiences a mid-temperate continental monsoon climate, characterized by long, cold, and dry winters, warm and rainy summers, and cool autumns. The average temperature in January is −17.2°C, while in July it is 21.7°C. The annual average temperature is 3.43°C, with precipitation generally ranging from 600 to 650 mm. The frost-free period lasts 130 days, and annual sunshine hours total 2,700. From June to September, precipitation accounts for 77% of the annual total.

** Meteorological Data of Hegang City (1971–2000)**

| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | |------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|------|------|------|------| | Record high °C (°F) | 1.5 (34.7) | 7.3 (45.1) | 19.0 (66.2) | 27.5 (81.5) | 33.5 (92.3) | 36.2 (97.2) | 37.7 (99.9) | 34.9 (94.8) | 31.0 (87.8) | 25.8 (78.4) | 13.1 (55.6) | 4.8 (40.6) | 37.7 (99.9) | | Average high °C (°F) | -12.7 (9.1) | -7.7 (18.1) | 0.5 (32.9) | 11.1 (52.0) | 18.9 (66.0) | 23.6 (74.5) | 26.5 (79.7) | 24.7 (76.5) | 18.9 (66.0) | 9.9 (49.8) | -2.1 (28.2) | -10.9 (12.4) | 8.4 (47.1) | | Daily mean °C (°F) | -17.2 (1.0) | -12.7 (9.1) | -4.5 (23.9) | 5.6 (42.1) | 13.0 (55.4) | 18.5 (65.3) | 21.7 (71.1) | 19.9 (67.8) | 13.7 (56.7) | 4.8 (40.6) | -6.6 (20.1) | -15.0 (5.0) | 3.4 (38.2) | | Average low °C (°F) | -20.8 (-5.4) | -16.9 (1.6) | -9.4 (15.1) | 0.4 (32.7) | 7.4 (45.3) | 13.7 (56.7) | 17.4 (63.3) | 15.7 (60.3) | 8.9 (48.0) | 0.3 (32.5) | -10.4 (13.3) | -18.3 (-0.9) | -1.0 (30.2) | | Record low °C (°F) | -38.5 (-37.3) | -32.6 (-26.7) | -26.1 (-15.0) | -13.0 (8.6) | -4.5 (23.9) | 7.0 (44.6) | 10.1 (50.2) | 7.1 (44.8) | -2.4 (27.7) | -15.7 (3.7) | -26.5 (-15.7) | -32.7 (-26.9) | -38.5 (-37.3) | | Average precipitation mm (inches) | 3.1 (0.12) | 4.2 (0.17) | 9.2 (0.36) | 21.9 (0.86) | 55.9 (2.20) | 113.1 (4.45) | 133.9 (5.27) | 148.6 (5.85) | 75.6 (2.98) | 31.5 (1.24) | 8.8 (0.35) | 6.6 (0.26) | 612.4 (24.11) | | Average precipitation days (≥0.1 mm) | 4.7 | 4.1 | 5.6 | 7.3 | 11.9 | 14.1 | 14.5 | 14.7 | 11.7 | 7.8 | 5.4 | 5.8 | 107.6 |

5. Administrative Divisions

Hegang City administers 6 districts and 2 counties.

• Districts: Xiangyang District, Gongnong District, Nanshan District, Xing'an District, Dongshan District, Xingshan District
• Counties: Luobei County, Suibin County

| Division Code | Division Name | Chinese Pinyin | Area (km²) | Resident Population (2020 Census) | Government Seat | Postal Code | Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | Ethnic Townships | |-------------------|-------------------|---------------------|----------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------|-----------------|------------------|-----------|---------------|----------------------| | 230400 | Hegang City | Hegang Shi | 14,665.01 | 891,271 | Xiangyang District | 154100 | 32 | 11 | 10 | 2 | | 230402 | Xiangyang District | Xiangyang Qu | 8.37 | 72,867 | Guangming Subdistrict | 154100 | 5 | | | | | 230403 | Gongnong District | Gongnong Qu | 11.96 | 136,519 | Hongqi Subdistrict | 154100 | 6 | | | | | 230404 | Nanshan District | Nanshan Qu | 31.13 | 119,662 | Tiexi Subdistrict | 154100 | 6 | | | | | 230405 | Xing'an District | Xing'an Qu | 253.21 | 99,013 | Xing'an Road Subdistrict | 154100 | 6 | 1 | | | | 230406 | Dongshan District | Dongshan Qu | 4,220.48 | 96,218 | Dongshan Subdistrict | 154100 | 5 | 1 | 2 | | | 230407 | Xingshan District | Xingshan Qu | 28.09 | 21,125 | Gounan Subdistrict | 154100 | 4 | | | | | 230421 | Luobei County | Luobei Xian | 6,767.82 | 206,072 | Fengxiang Town | 154200 | | 6 | 2 | 1 | | 230422 | Suibin County | Suibin Xian | 3,343.95 | 139,795 | Suibin Town | 156200 | | 3 | 6 | 1 |

6. Economy

Hegang's economy is primarily supported by coal and related industries, which account for approximately 70% of the city's industrial added value. The predecessor of Heilongjiang Longmay Mining Holding Group Co., Ltd. Hegang Branch, the Hegang Mining Bureau, was once the fourth-largest mining bureau in China. Currently, it produces 12 million tons of raw coal and coal products annually. Additionally, there are steel and brick-making industries based on coal. Nowadays, there is a pharmaceutical factory near the No. 5 Reservoir, named Sanjing Qianhe Pharmaceutical Factory, which distributes its medicines throughout the province.

6.1 Fiscal Restructuring

In December 2021, the Hegang municipal government announced the cancellation of its plan to publicly recruit grassroots government staff, citing significant changes in its financial situation and the need to implement "local government fiscal restructuring." Mainland media indicated that Hegang might become the first prefecture-level city in the People's Republic of China to undergo "fiscal restructuring" since the country's founding. The reasons for Hegang's economic decline include:

1. Continuous population outflow: From 2013 to 2021, the population of Hegang's urban area decreased by 17.12%.
2. Plummeting housing prices: In 2021, housing prices were only 1,000 yuan per square meter, making it one of the cities with the lowest average housing prices in the country. The rental market was even bleaker, with many landlords only requiring tenants to pay heating and property management fees.

7. Transportation

The urban area of the city is small, with limited transportation routes, but traffic congestion rarely occurs except at certain locations during peak hours. The city has multiple bus routes that cover most of the urban area.

7.1 Railway

As an important coal base in Northeast China, Hegang enjoys convenient railway transportation. Currently, the main railway lines include the Hegang Railway and Hebei Railway. Passenger trains operate daily to and from cities such as Harbin, Jiamusi, and Hebei.

7.2 Highway

Hegang currently has high-grade highways connecting to cities such as Harbin, Dalian, and Yichun. The high-grade highway from Hegang to Mingshankou directly links to Russia.

7.2.1 Expressways

G11 Hedan Expressway (Hegang–Dalian)
G1111 Heha Expressway (Hegang–Harbin)

7.2.2 National Highways

National Highway 201 and National Highway 332 pass through the area.

7.2.3 Provincial Highways

Provincial Highway 101 (Haluo Highway)
Provincial Highway 204 (Henen Highway)
Provincial Highway 303 (Heyi Highway)
Provincial Highway 312 (Suijia Highway)

7.3 Water Transport

The Heilongjiang River route is located in the northern part of Hegang, connecting with the Songhua River and the Ussuri River at Khabarovsk in Russia. It freezes during winter. The Suibin Port within the area is a water transport open port approved by the State Council.

8. Education

The city has one full-time institution of higher education, with 1,492 new enrollments, 2,926 total students enrolled, and 915 graduates. There are 7 specialized secondary schools, with 1,271 new enrollments, 5,629 total students enrolled, and 1,464 graduates. There are 50 regular secondary schools, with 13,231 new enrollments, 37,982 total students enrolled, and 14,886 graduates. There are 36 primary schools, with 3,606 new enrollments, 29,771 total students enrolled, and 4,427 graduates. There is one special education school, with 35 new enrollments and 191 total students enrolled. There are 144 kindergartens, with 12,045 children enrolled.

8.1 Institutions of Higher Education

• Hegang Normal College

8.2 Secondary Schools

• Hegang No. 1 Middle School
• Hegang No. 2 Middle School
• Hegang No. 3 Middle School
• Hegang No. 4 Middle School
• Hegang No. 5 Middle School
• Hegang No. 6 Middle School
• Hegang No. 8 Middle School
• Hegang No. 10 Middle School (Hegang No. 2 Middle School Dongshan Campus)
• Hegang No. 12 Middle School (Hegang No. 4 Middle School Nanshan Campus)
• Hegang No. 13 Middle School
• Hegang No. 14 Middle School
• Hegang No. 15 Middle School (Hegang No. 2 Middle School Tianshui Lake Campus)
• Hegang No. 17 Middle School
• Hegang No. 18 Middle School
• Hegang No. 19 Middle School (Hegang No. 4 Middle School Wuzhishan Campus)
• Hegang No. 21 Middle School
• Hegang No. 22 Middle School
• Hegang No. 24 Middle School
• Hegang No. 25 Middle School
• Hegang No. 26 Middle School
• Hegang No. 27 Middle School
• Hegang Private Yucai Middle School
• Hegang Private New North School

9. Population

At the end of 2022, the city's total registered population was 946,000, of which 766,000 were urban residents.

According to the Seventh National Population Census in 2020, the city's resident population was 891,271. Compared with the 1,058,665 people recorded in the Sixth National Population Census, this represents a decrease of 167,394 people over ten years, a decline of 15.81%, with an average annual growth rate of -1.71%. Among them, the male population was 445,771, accounting for 50.02% of the total population; the female population was 445,500, accounting for 49.98% of the total population. The overall sex ratio (with females as 100) was 100.06. The population aged 0–14 was 77,421, accounting for 8.69% of the total population; the population aged 15–59 was 597,050, accounting for 66.99% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 216,800, accounting for 24.32% of the total population, of which those aged 65 and above numbered 146,649, accounting for 16.45% of the total population. The urban population was 736,416, accounting for 82.63% of the total population; the rural population was 154,855, accounting for 17.37% of the total population.

9.1 Ethnic Groups

Among the city's resident population, the Han ethnic group numbered 868,269, accounting for 97.42%; ethnic minorities numbered 23,002, accounting for 2.58%. Compared with the Sixth National Population Census in 2010, the Han population decreased by 166,185, a decline of 16.06%, and its proportion of the total population decreased by 0.29 percentage points; the ethnic minority population decreased by 1,209, a decline of 4.99%, and its proportion of the total population increased by 0.29 percentage points. Among them, the Manchu population decreased by 474, a decline of 4.41%, and its proportion of the total population increased by 0.14 percentage points; the Korean ethnic population increased by 81, a growth of 1.33%, and its proportion of the total population increased by 0.12 percentage points.

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10. Sister Cities

10.1 International

• Birobidzhan, Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Russia

10.2 Domestic

• Zhengzhou City, Henan Province
• Chaoyang District, Beijing
• Haidian District, Beijing
• Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province
• Pingdingshan City, Henan Province
• Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hubei Province
• Xiantao City, Hubei Province
• Jieyang City, Guangdong Province
• Chengdu City, Sichuan Province

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The Hill Where the Crane Stands

No. 1 Youyi Road, Xiangyang District

Luobei County

Han Chinese account for 97.42% of the population; ethnic minorities account for 2.58%.

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