Hailin
Encyclopedia
Hailin is a county-level city
, part of Mudanjiang prefecture-level city
, Heilongjiang
province, northeast China
. It has an area of 8,816 km², and a population of 440,000 (as reported in 2006). Ethnic groups include the majority Han Chinese
as well as significant numbers of Manchu
and ethnic Koreans.
Hailin is today known by several descriptive names - "forest sea and snow plain", "hometown of Manchurian tigers", and "hometown of Chinese north medicine". However, in the past many knew Hailin from the story of people's revolutionary hero Yang Zi Rong (Chinese: 杨子荣), the real life hero Zhang Zonggui. His story was made into a modern, revolutionary Beijing opera Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy
, based the 1957 novel 林海雪原 (pinyin: Lín Hǎi Xuě Yuan] by Qü Bo. Various movies have been made of the same story.
or Yīn Dynasty (殷代), if not the Neolithic era. Historic sites include ancient Qunli rock paintings, Jiangdong ancient cemeteries of Jin Dynasty, the early site of the Qing Dynasty Ninguta city (from which a structure called Ninggu Ta - "Ninngu Tower" - remains), a wooden Russian Orthodox cathedral, a depot of the Chinese Eastern Railway
constructed in 1903, and the Yang Zirong martyrs' cemetery.
During China's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937–45) the Japanese established a military airport at Hailin. Even recently (2005) aircraft bombs continue to be discovered during construction and other projects.
The present day administrative division traces its recent history to Xinhai county established in 1946. The division was changed to city-grade in 1992. Nowadays, there are 8 towns and 123 administrative villages in the Hailin City division. The towns include Hailin town, Changting town, Chaihe town, Sandao town, Erdao town, Hengdao town, Xinan town, Shanshi town, and Hainan town.
71% of the county is covered by forest. Important products include timber, medicinal herbs such as ginseng
and eleutherococcus senticosus
, and forest foods such as edible mushrooms, which are farmed in large quantities.
County-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....
, part of Mudanjiang prefecture-level city
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
, Heilongjiang
Heilongjiang
For the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
province, northeast China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It has an area of 8,816 km², and a population of 440,000 (as reported in 2006). Ethnic groups include the majority Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
as well as significant numbers of Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
and ethnic Koreans.
Name and Meaning
Literally, the name Hailin in English means "sea forest", but a better interpretation seems to be "boundless forest". In this sense, Hailin shares a name with the "boundless" Linhai Snowfield (林海雪原 Linhai Xueyuan).Hailin is today known by several descriptive names - "forest sea and snow plain", "hometown of Manchurian tigers", and "hometown of Chinese north medicine". However, in the past many knew Hailin from the story of people's revolutionary hero Yang Zi Rong (Chinese: 杨子荣), the real life hero Zhang Zonggui. His story was made into a modern, revolutionary Beijing opera Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy
Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy
Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy is a Beijing opera, and one of the eight model plays allowed during the Chinese Cultural Revolution...
, based the 1957 novel 林海雪原 (pinyin: Lín Hǎi Xuě Yuan] by Qü Bo. Various movies have been made of the same story.
History and Administration
Hailin must have been inhabited even in the ancient times of the Shāng DynastyShang Dynasty
The Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty was, according to traditional sources, the second Chinese dynasty, after the Xia. They ruled in the northeastern regions of the area known as "China proper" in the Yellow River valley...
or Yīn Dynasty (殷代), if not the Neolithic era. Historic sites include ancient Qunli rock paintings, Jiangdong ancient cemeteries of Jin Dynasty, the early site of the Qing Dynasty Ninguta city (from which a structure called Ninggu Ta - "Ninngu Tower" - remains), a wooden Russian Orthodox cathedral, a depot of the Chinese Eastern Railway
Chinese Eastern Railway
The Chinese Eastern Railway or was a railway in northeastern China . It connected Chita and the Russian Far East. English-speakers have sometimes referred to this line as the Manchurian Railway...
constructed in 1903, and the Yang Zirong martyrs' cemetery.
During China's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937–45) the Japanese established a military airport at Hailin. Even recently (2005) aircraft bombs continue to be discovered during construction and other projects.
The present day administrative division traces its recent history to Xinhai county established in 1946. The division was changed to city-grade in 1992. Nowadays, there are 8 towns and 123 administrative villages in the Hailin City division. The towns include Hailin town, Changting town, Chaihe town, Sandao town, Erdao town, Hengdao town, Xinan town, Shanshi town, and Hainan town.
Geography and Resources
90% of the Hailin City administrative area is mountainous. Principal geographic features of Hailin include Shen Mountain, Qian Mountain, Qiulingman Mound, Haigu Plain, Zhangguancai Ridge, and 140 streams or rivers of the Mudanjiang water system (74 belonging to the Hailang drainage basin and 66 belonging to the Mudanjiang drainage basin). The larger rivers are the Mudanjiang River, the Hailang River, Sandao River, Erdao River, Toudao River, Shanshi River, Mijang River, Hongdian River, and Touyin River.71% of the county is covered by forest. Important products include timber, medicinal herbs such as ginseng
Ginseng
Ginseng is any one of eleven species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, belonging to the genus Panax of the family Araliaceae....
and eleutherococcus senticosus
Eleutherococcus senticosus
Eleutherococcus senticosus is a species of small, woody shrub in the family Araliaceae native to Northeastern Asia. It is often colloquially referred to as Siberian Ginseng or eleuthero, and is sometimes shortened to E. senticosus in medical literature. E...
, and forest foods such as edible mushrooms, which are farmed in large quantities.