Mudanjiang Railway Station

Mudanjiang (; Manchu: ''Mudan bira''), alternately romanized as Mutankiang, is a prefecture-level city in the southeast part of Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China. It was called ''Botankou'' under Japanese occupation. It serves as a regional transport hub with a railway junction and an international airport connecting with several major Chinese cities as well as Incheon International Airport serving Seoul. Mudanjiang is located from Vladivostok, Russia. In 2011, Mudanjiang had a GDP of RMB 93.48 billion with a 15.1% growth rate. In 2015, Mudanjiang had a GDP of RMB 118.63 billion.

Its population was 2,290,208 as the 2020 census whom 930,051 lived (965,154 in 2010) in the built-up area made of 4 urban districts. In 2007, the city is named China's top ten livable cities by Chinese Cities Brand Value Report, which was released at 2007 Beijing Summit of China Cities Forum.

Administrative divisions

History

File:Mudanjiang Old Station.jpg, Mudanjiang Railway Station during the 1900s
File:Mdj-1942.jpg, Ginza street of Mudanjiang, 1942
File:Txu-oclc-6614368-nl52-11a.jpg, Mudanjiang (labeled as MU-TAN-CHIANG), 1950s

Mudanjiang was originally populated by the Sushen 2,300 years ago. They lived in the valley of the Mudan River, and established the State of Mo (). During the Tang dynasty, Balhae established their Upper capital Longquan Fu (Yongcheon bu) near Lake Jingpo south of Mudanjiang around 755 AD. On January 14, 926, Yongcheon fell while Balhae was defeated by the Khitans.

Mudanjiang is named after the eponymous Mudan River (literally, "Peony River") flowing through it. Imperial Russia built a train station for the Chinese Eastern Railway in Mudanjiang in 1903, after which local development started boosting. Both Chinese and Russian settlers established themselves here. Mudanjiang was little more than a large village until the 1920s. By that time, Mudanjiang was strongly overshadowed by the nearby county town of Ningan (Former Ninguta). However, merchants from several countries including France, Russia, Britain and Denmark set up sub-agencies in Mudanjiang during this period, which led the trade area of the city to a rapid expansion.

After the Japanese invasion of Manchuria began on September 19, 1931, the whole Manchuria was seized by Japan following the Mukden Incident. Mudanjiang experienced a substantial growth in the 1930s under the Japanese occupation. Mudanjiang also became a military and administrative center going by the name Botankou, particularly after the railway from Tumen to Jiamusi was constructed in 1933. By that time several light industries including light engineering, lumbering, and food processing was established in the town. On December 1, 1937, Botankou City was established by the Manchukuo government, administering five counties. On October 15, 1938, Japanese Government set up a consulate in Botankou and promoted Botankou as a municipality directly under the Manchukuo Government. As Manchukuo collapsed, Mudanjiang was captured by the Soviet Army on August 16, 1945.LTC David M. Glantz
"August Storm: The Soviet 1945 Strategic Offensive in Manchuria"
. Leavenworth Papers No. 7, Combat Studies Institute, February 1983, Fort Leavenworth Kansas.

Mudanjiang was controlled by the Communist forces and became the capital of Songjiang Province in 1948. However, after Songjiang Province was merged into Heilongjiang Province on June 19, 1954, Mudanjiang was reduced to a prefecture-level city. The historic Beishan Stadium is located in the city. The 15,000-capacity stadium is used mostly for association football matches.

Geography

Mudanjiang, spanning from 128° 02' to 131° 18' E longitude and 43° 24' to 45° 59' N latitude, is located in southeastern Heilongjiang province. It is also the province's southernmost prefecture. Neighboring prefectures are:
*Harbin (W)
* Jixi (NE)
*Qitaihe (N)
* Yanbian, Jilin (S)
It also borders Russia's Primorsky Krai to the east. The average elevation in the prefecture is , with the terrain primarily consisting of mountains and hills. The east of the prefecture begins to ascend to the Changbai Mountains, while the central parts belong to the Hegu Basin. The lowest part of the prefecture is Suifenhe City, bordering Russia, at a minimum elevation of , while the highest point is Zhangguangcai mountain, at .

Climate

Mudanjiang features a monsoon-influenced, humid continental climate ( Köppen ''Dwa'') with hot, humid summers and very cold and dry winters; spring and autumn are brief. However, winter temperatures here are far warmer than much of the rest of the province, and the city's basin location helps protect it from biting winds. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in July; the annual mean is . Close to three-fifths of the annual rainfall occurs from June to August. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 46% in July to 62% in February and March, the city receives 2,368 hours of bright sunshine annually. Extreme temperatures have ranged from to .

Economy

In 2010, the city's GDP rose 18.5% to RMB 78.1 billion, ranked fourth in Heilongjiang Province after Harbin, Daqing and Qiqihar. Tourist industry and light manufacturing are the mainstays of Mudanjiang's economy. Mudanjiang's pillar industries include accessory industry for automobiles, paper making, forest industry, petrochemicals, new materials, pharmacy and energy industry.Profiles of China Provinces, Cities and Industrial Parks
/ref> The foreign trade value increased 71.8% to US$9 billion in 2010, making up three-fourths of Heilongjiang Province's gross.

Development zones

*Mudanjiang to Russia Economic and Technological Development Zone
*Sino-Russian Information Industrial Garden
*Mudanjiang Jiangnan Economic and Technological Development Area
*Mudanjiang Bioindustry Development Zone
*Heilongjiang Northern Pharmaceutical Technological Development Zone

Transport

Railway

Mudanjiang is a railway hub in eastern Heilongjiang Province. Binsui (Harbin-Suifenhe) Railway and Tujia (Tumen-Jiamusi) Railway meet here. Trains from Mudanjiang Railway Station connect the city with Beijing, Jinan, Dalian, Harbin, Changchun and several other cities in China.

Air

Mudanjiang Hailang International Airport