The northeastern part of Heilongjiang Province is the coldest area within China where the Wudalianchi volcanic cluster perched at Heihe City covers an area of over 800 km2, which is composed of volcanic cones that taken shape after the eruptions in different periods. With its well-preserved craters, various volcano-tectonic structures, magnificent lava flows, lava seas, etc., it is hailed as a volcanic marvel and was designated by the UNESCO as a World Geopark in 2004.

Prof. BAI Zhi-da from the School of Earth Sciences and Resources at the China University of Geosciences, says that the volcanos of Wudalianchi volcanic cluster are still regarded as active, and are therefore closely monitored by the China Earthquake Administration. The cluster’s latest volcanic activity occurred in 1719 - 1721 which we can only imagine the consternation of the dwellers nearby who knew nothing about volcanos in the face of a sky overspread by soot and cathartic blares! The eruption that happened 300 years ago was not only documented by words but also gave rise to Mount Laohei and Mount Huoshao. The lava flows effused also segmented Baihe (White River) nearby into five sections which then formed five beaded volcanic barrier lakes, hence the name Wudalianchi (five successive lakes) volcanic cluster.

The dark volcanic cones offer a stark contrast in vision to the snowcapped Northeast during winter while the volcanic rocks and spring water offer the locals with economic benefits. Legend says that the ancestral hunters of the Daur people went after a wounded deer to the spring next to the volcanos where they discovered the deer healed itself without any medication, they therefore regarded this mineral-rich spring as a medicinal spring for treating illnesses.

The Daur people originally live in the Stanovoy Range region located on the northern coast of Heilongjiang Province. During the Kangxi period of Qing Dynasty, all Daur people were ordered to migrate south to Nenjiang plain because of the border disputes between the Qing Government and Tsar-Russia, and the place where they initially settled down for agriculture is today’s Aihui District in Heihe City. Even to this day, the Daur people still erect large Ovoos (yurts) in the autonomous village of Aihui District for offering rituals and benediction, which also serve as a symbol of their kind who scattered across China and Russia.

The Oroqen people were also among those minorities who were ordered to move southward. They live on hunting, and this was why they chose to settle in the Xinsheng Village situated in the forest. Every time before they go uphill for hunting, the Shamans (wizards) in their tribes would guide the clan to worship the God of sky, the God of fire and the God of mountains for luck and abundance. While gun hunting is already forbidden and the Oroqen hunters having become performers for attracting tourists, the traditional roe deer hide crafts of the clan are still well-known throughout the country and have become a cultural heritage on this permafrost land in Heilongjiang Province.

Assistant Producer: Cindy CHAN
Producer: Joseph HUNG