Shuangyashan

Template:Infobox settlement Template:Infobox Chinese Shuangyashan (Template:Lang-zh) is a coal mining prefecture-level city located in the eastern part Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China, bordering Russia's Khabarovsk and Primorsky Krais to the east. The city's name means a pair-of-ducks mountains and refers to two peaks northeast of the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2007 the city had a GDP of RMB 20.6 billion with a 14.2% growth rate.

History

Shuangyashan was given its name in AD 1384 during the Ming Dynasty. However, few people lived in the area before coal was discovered there in 1914. In 1928 a major coal mining operation was established on the site and in 1946 the area was first designated a county. Shuangyashan was established as a special mining district in 1954 and officially designated a city by the CPC Central Committee and State Council in 1956.

Geography and climate

Resources

Shuangyashan is rich in coal, magnetite and marble. The proven coal reserves in the city total 11 billion tons, ranking first out of 13 prefecture and prefecture-level cities in the province. The magnetite reserves in Shuangyashan exceed 120 million tons, ranking first in Heilongjiang Province.

Climate

The city has a cold temperate monsoon climate, with long, cold, windy winters. The annual mean temperature in the city is Template:Convert.

Administrative divisions

#	Name	Hanzi	Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2003 est.)	Area (km2)	Density (/km2)
1	Jianshan District	Template:Lang	Jiānshān Qū	210,000	118	1,780
3	Lingdong District	Template:Lang	Lǐngdōng Qū	90,000	908	99
2	Sifangtai District	Template:Lang	Sìfāngtái Qū	70,000	169	414
4	Baoshan District	Template:Lang	Bǎoshān Qū	130,000	572	227
5	Jixian County	Template:Lang	Jíxián Xiàn	310,000	2,860	108
6	Youyi County	Template:Lang	Yǒuyì Xiàn	120,000	1,800	67
7	Baoqing County	Template:Lang	Bǎoqīng Xiàn	420,000	13,443	31
8	Raohe County	Template:Lang	Ráohé Xiàn	140,000	6,613	21

Economy

Shuangyashan is a major center for coal mining. The city also produces steel, lumber, chemicals, building materials, textiles, electric machinery, and food products. In 2010, Shuangyashan's GDP reached RMB 37.67 billion, featuring a growth of 25% from a year ago.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The production output of steel and coal ranked the first and the second in Heilongjiang province. The region has attracted investments from large domestic companies such as Shandong Luneng Group and Jianlong Group. Tourism, retailing and wholesaling are also the pillars of the city's service sector.<ref>Profiles of China Provinces, Cities and Industrial Parks</ref>

More recently, the city has been feeling the effects of the coal downturn, with mining demand collapsing amidst a slowdown in China's economic growth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Transportation

A new high-speed railway station in Shuangyashan City is the Jiamusi Mudanjiang high-speed railway line, which can reach Harbin, Dalian, Shijiazhuang and other cities. The average time to Harbin is 3 hours and the average time to Jiamusi is 25 minutes. Shuangyashan is at the end of the Harbin to Shuangyashan railway spur link. 15 hours from Harbin by train, and 90 minutes from the closest prefecture-level city, Jiamusi. A freeway connects the town to Jiamusi over a distance of Template:Convert. There is a modern coach service as well which does this trip in approximately 45 minutes. The city is Template:Convert from Jiamusi Airport, which operates regular flights to Beijing, Dalian, Shanghai, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Sanya and Khabarovsk.

Sight-seeing

File:Shuangyashan Museum 1.jpg

Shuangyashan Museum

Shuangyashan is surrounded by small mountains, and a large park based around one of these mountains forms a major feature of the outdoor life of the town. During the winter, this pine and elm-covered mountain forms an area for recreational activities.

External links

• Shuangyashan official homepage