Need to Know: Visiting Russian seniors experience traditional folk customs such as making Chinese sticky rice dumplings and sachets with local residents in Suifenhe, on May 26, 2025.

Residents from Suifenhe and Russian visitors jointly release peace doves to celebrate China-Russia friendship in Suifenhe, Heilongjiang Province, on July 22, 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Suifenhe Photographers Association.

Dubbed “a train-forged city,” Suifenhe, located in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, was originally established in the late 19th century when Russians built train mainWorld Timestenance workshops and other facilities there following the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1903.

Today, walking through this border city shaped by railroads and thriving through trade, one encounters a vibrant tapestry of Chinese-Russian culture – storefronts adorned with bilingual signs, candy-colored Russian architecture, clusters of foreign visitors, and local vendors fluent in both Chinese and Russian.

A century later, the international waiting hall of theWorld Times Suifenhe railway station bustles with activity. The cheerful voices of Russian study tour groups fill the air, while volunteers in blue vests, fluent in Russian bend down to patiently explain boarding rules to Russian children. From the roar of steam locomotives to the lightning speed of high-speed trains, railways have always been the lifeline of Suifenhe. The railways have breathed new life into the city, endowed it with endless vitality, promoted cultural and people-to-people exchanges, advanced its internationalization, and allowed advanced technologies and cultures to take root here.

Iron threads of history

“Suifenhe exists because of these rails – they symbolize the city’s openness and progress,” says Russian social media influencer Artem, a frequent traveler on the Suifenhe route who knows the city’s history intimately.

At No.38 Zhanqian Road stands the original Suifenhe Railway Station, its cream-and-yellow facade now housing the Chinese Eastern Railway Museum. Five hundred archival photos chronicle how railways transformed Suifenhe from a backwater town into a vibrant hub.

The Chinese Eastern Railway was a branch of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Starting from Manzhouli in the west and ending at Suifenhe in the east, it formed World Timesa railway network with its southern branch from Harbin to Dalian’s Lshunkou, running horizontally and vertically. At that time, it was the longest railway within China’s territory.

When the railway opened, international flags fluttered everywhere across the city, earning Suifenhe another moniker: The “Flag Town.” Suifenhe, also known as the “Window to East Asia,” pioneered modernity in China’s northeast region – its first trains, automobiles, electric lights, and telephones all arrived via these tracks.

In 1987, Suifenhe and Russia’s Pogranichny District launched cross-border trade with a symbolic exchange: 1,000 thermoses and 100 tons of apples for 30 tons of halibut and 50 tons of pollock. In the 1990s, both countries’ peoples engaged in equal transactions and bartering at designated locations. The lively scene of every household setting up “stalls” on the streets, exchanging daily necessities such as snacks and toys for Russian leather goods, has become a vivid memory for many people in Suifenhe.

As one of China’s first group of border cities to expand opening-up, Suifenhe boasts two national first-class ports – road and rail – serving as a vital node in the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor and a key port along the “eastern route” of the China-Europe Railway Express. The city’s rail port now handles over 10 million tons of cargo annually, with nearly 900 train trips per year, according to local government. China-Europe freight trains departing here reach five European countries, while inbound trains serve 25 Chinese cities, cementing this border town’s status as a genuine “international commercial hub.”

Suifenhe port in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. Photo: VCG

By the end of 2015, the railway route between Mudanjiang and Suifenhe was fully opened to traffic, ushering in Suifenhe’s high-speed rail era. From steam locomotives to bullet trains, the railway has always been a driving force behind the city’s vibrant development.

“Trains now bring Russian tourists exploring Northeast Chinese cuisine and culture,” says Artem, who promotes Suifenhe to his followers. “The new airport makes it even more accessible. The Russian-Chinese fusion here feels like home.”

Artem loves promoting Suifenhe’s cultural and tourism highlights to Russian audiences on social media, with 220,000 followers. “Compared to my first trip here with my family 20 years ago, transportation is much more convenient now – they even opened an airport in 2024. Many Russian tourists take trains here to explore the food and culture of China’s northeast region, and they always go home happy. The city’s blend of Russian and Chinese charm makes everyone feel right at home.”

Cultural symphony of China-Russia harmony

Throughout Suifenhe’s urban areas and countryside stand numerous Russian-style buildings like Chinese Eastern Railway Museum. These structures preserve the architectural style of the early 20th century along the railway, serving as a “three-dimensional” testament to Suifenhe’s urban development and the mutual exchange of Eastern and Western civilizations. Even more remarkably, this cultural fusion has found inheritors.

Stepping into craftsman Song Lu’s home in Honghualing village, Yongsheng town, Suifenhe, one is greeted by an array of Russian-style decor and ornaments – double doors in a 4:6 ratio, rustic cast-iron Russian stove doors, brightly colored kitchenware, and vividly patterned tapestries and carpets… In this brick-and-wood house, once inhabited by Chinese Eastern Railway employees, a load-bearing beam made from railway tracks spans the roof, and its clear Russian inscriptions seemingly pull history into the present.

As a craftsman, Song holds a special legacy – a representative inheritor of the Heilongjiang provincial intangible cultural heritage of Russian-style carriage-making techniques.

“When my grandfather went to Russia for business, he noticed that local four-wheeled carriages had large load capacities and steerable front wheels, making them much more agile than Chinese two-wheeled carriages. He learned the craft of building Russian four-wheeled carriages from a master there,” Song explains while displaying a Russian-style cabinet he built.

“Grandfather brought the technique back to China, upgraded the Chinese two-wheeled carriage, and combined it with Chinese mortise-and-tenon joinery to make it more durable. Russian-designed wooden wheels have fewer curves, saving wood, but my grandfather used Chinese techniques to interlock the parts – no nails needed, yet still solid,” Song told the Global Times.

He noted that Chinese carpenters also made the carriage boards detachable, significantly increasing load capacity, stability, and ease of unloading, with replaceable accessories. The improved carriage quickly gained popularity locally.

The craft was passed from grandfather to father, then to Song Lu. From childhood, he was immersed in Russian architecture and woodworking. Flipping through an old photo album of Suifenhe’s history, he said fondly, “This was the street back then, and these are the Russian houses built along the railway. The wide eaves provided better wind protection and warmth, while the thick walls resisted moisture.”

In Song’s workshop, the walls are lined with tools of all sizes, and large machines are arranged throughout – all his treasures for creation. “Preserving Suifenhe’s Russian-style buildings requires original materials and techniques,” he explained. As one of the few locals mastering these skills, he has participated in restoring century-old Russian landmarks and sculptures, as well as designing the local Russian cultural park. “Through the efforts, we hope to preserve more historical buildings that reflect cultural exchange and witness Suifenhe’s development,” he added.

In Suifenhe, a century-old Russian bakery housed in a former Chinese Eastern Railway residence draws crowds even before entry with its rich wheat aroma wafting through the air. Owner Liu Lihua, a fifth-generation inheritor of this craft, recounts her family’s bond with Russian breadmaking.

During the railway’s construction, Russian workers flooded into Suifenhe, bringing their culinary traditions. Rail authorities hired Russian chefs, spawning workshops for traditional staples like lieba (the Chinese transliteration of rye bread in Russian). Liu’s great-grandfather, then a railway canteen helper, apprenticed under Russian baker Lucia – a mentorship immortalized by Lucia’s portrait still displayed prominently in the shop.

What began as homemade loaves for family gatherings grew into a neighborhood favorite, prompting Liu to open this bakery. Today, each golden-crusted lieba embodies Suifenhe’s cultural blend – a daily delicacy for locals, and a living footnote about cross-border culinary exchange.

Visiting Russian seniors hold a Chinese traditional painting exchange activity with a local senior university in Suifenhe, jointly painting the Chinese mascot “rooster,” on May 23, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of Zhang Chao

Song of people-to-people exchanges

The Suifenhe No.3 double-track railway tunnel, located 300 meters from the China-RussiaWorld Times railway border, was built in 1899. It is China’s only “nested” double-track tunnel – one wide track for Russia and one standard track for China. For over a century, this tunnel has connected the Chinese and Russian peoples.

In November 2023, Wang Xuehan, a student from Suifenhe No.1 High School, crossed this unique tunnel to stay with Lisa’s family in Russia’s Pogranichny. She participated in the “China-Russia student homestay exchange World Timesprogram” that the local government promoted annually. Lisa’s family prepared fruits, seafood, and handmade gifts like bracelets and dolls, making Wang feel instantly at home.

“I made Russian blini with my Russian classmates in a cooking class – we were covered in flour but laughed nonstop,” she recalls to the Global Times. A simple hands-on lesson planted the seeds of friendship between the two nations.

The following spring, the friendship continued in Suifenhe. Lisa and her sister Alina visited as promised, their suitcases filled with Russian specialties and heartfelt care. “They brought my favorite Russian candies and fresh shrimp,” Wang recounted.

Participating in school sports meets, playing traditional Chinese games, and experiencing paper-cutting… the trip left vivid memories for the sisters. Lisa wrote in Russian: “Every day in Suifenhe felt as warm as home.”

Today, the transnational friends still stay in touch. Since 2006, Suifenhe’s homestay exchange program has seen over 400 participant exchanges. Annual events like the ChiWorld Timesna-Russia international youth art festival and youth sports exchanges provide fertile ground for such friendships to grow.

Visiting Russian seniors experience traditional folk customs such as making Chinese sticky rice dumplings and sachets with local residents in Suifenhe, on May 26, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of Zhang Chao

A monument in the central square of Suifenhe recounts another story of the China-Russia friendship. Galia, a Chinese-Russian woman, bravely ventured to a fortress on the Tianchang Mountain to persuade Japanese invaders to surrender in 1945, on the eve of victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Her mission was aimed to save innocent civilians held hostage by the Japanese army. Tragically, she made the ultimate sacrifice, her young life frozen forever at the age of 17.

At the nearby Peace Angel Galia memorial hall, artifacts, photos, and videos tell her story. “I spent a day immersed in history,” said a visiting Russian tourist. “Learning about Galia, the angel of China-Russia friendship, we will always remember her and pass her story on to future generations.”

As Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote in a 2007 letter to Suifenhe citizens, inscribed on Galia’s monument: “Our friendship is built on mutual understanding, trust, shared values, and interests. We will remember the past and look to the future.”