Baicheng

Understand

The area around present day Baicheng was a longtime hunting ground, and no farming was allowed until 1902, but now agriculture and agriculture industry play a major role. Baicheng was established in 1908 and was named Baicheng in 1938. The railways running through the city were established in the 1920s and 1930s and made Baicheng a regional transportation hub. Agriculture related industry, textile industry, a thermal power plant, a paper mill and other smaller plants are the industrial basis of the city. Two nature preserves are located nearby. The population is around 300,000 in the city and 2,000,000 in the county.

Getting there

By plane The nearest airport is in Changchun.

By train Trains from Beijing leave from Beijing North, take 16–18 hours and costs ¥126-383. There are also connections from Harbin (7 hours; ¥32-114), Changchun (5 hours ¥29-47), Dalian, (15 hours; ¥78-242) and Shenyang (7 hours; ¥67-206).

By bus Buses from Changchun take 3–4 hours.

Getting around

The city is relatively small and has occasional traffic jams, however multiple forms of transportation are available.

By bus Most of buses are convenient and you can wait for them for little time. But some of the buses that are in villages or far from the center of the city are not very convenient and you have to wait for them for a long time. Thankfully, the bus fare is not expensive and the fare of some buses is only ¥1 or ¥2. The more expensive fare is just over ¥5. Furthermore, the fare takes the bus from starting point to end point. Besides, as for payment, you can pay by bash for every bus, but for some of the buses, you can use a swipe card.

By taxi There so many taxis in Baicheng city. You can take the taxi everywhere, so to speak. The color of taxi is between white and green and the environment in the taxi is common comfortable. The taxi fare is also cheap. Within 2.5 km, the fare is ¥5, but as for over 2.5 km, you should pay ¥1 every 100m as extra payment. In addition, as for time that you use the taxi over 5 minutes, you should also pay ¥1 for every 5 minutes as extra payment. But the city is not very big, you normally don't have to pay much money.

On bicycle or on foot As the saying goes, “All roads lead to rome.” The roads in Baicheng like this old saying, you can take the bicycle or on foot go anywhere you want to go if you like doing it. Once you know your immediate surroundings, you'll find that Baicheng isn't such a huge place and the pedestrian approach can be an enriching experience. You can surely use GPS to find or go your destination it is also a convenient way. But if you want to go shopping, amuse yourself and so on, you may however need a Chinese-speaking friend to help you with registration or troubleshooting.

See

1 Xianghai National Nature Reserve. Grassland and wetland landscape with swamps, marshes, lakes, and lots of cranes. Donggou Wetland Hunting Field (At the convergence of Da'an City and Tongyu County). Open for three months during spring and summer. 2 Momoge National Nature Reserve (莫莫格国家级自然保护区 Mòmògé Guójiājí Zìrán Bǎohùqū) (Train from Beicheng to Taonan (24 minutes; ¥3-13) and then a bus). Covers an area of 1,440 km2 and includes swamps, island, river and grassland in an area of 1,440 km2. The area is inhabited by 193 kinds of birds including cranes. Especially in spring and autumn, the number of birds here is impressive.

3 Jiangjiadian grassland (姜家甸草原风情旅游区 Jiāngjiādiàn Cǎoyuán Fēngqíng Lǚyóuqū). This place is rich in natural resources. The scenery is beautiful and there are many kinds of animals running around the grassland. The place abounds with Leymus chinensis and they are exported to Korea, Japan and so on. The medicinal plant like precious wild licorice, radix scutellariae, rhizoma anemarrhenae, stellera chamaejasme and so on are famous inside and outside the province. The special grassland landscape yurts, hunting grounds, racecourse and fishing area are fascinating. 4 Daqintala grassland. It is a big and beautiful grassland in Baicheng. 5 Chaganhaote Tourism Development Zone. “Chagan” means white. “Haote” means city. So “Chaganhaote” means white city - Baicheng and Baicheng is the history name of Chaganhaote. It lies in the northwest of Baicheng and is located at the junction of Jilin, Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang. The total area is about 171.86 square kilometres. Taoerhe River, Tuanjiehu, Banlashan, Wind Power Plant and grassland are located here. Park of traditions of nationalities is located on the northern side of Tuanjiehu. The total area of park is 6.6 thousand square meters. There are 39 Mongolian yurts. It is the biggest Mongolian-themed package group tour destination in the area. 6 Forest Park. It is a small park where parents like going with their children to have fun on festivals. There are many kinds of animals and the scenery is beautiful. ¥2 one person. 7 Canal Model Park. It is a famous canal in Baicheng. When spring is coming, some people like to go on a hike there. 8 Nenjiang Vacation Village. Nenjiang Vacation Village (嫩江旅游度假村 Nènjiāng Lǔyóu Dùjiàcūn) is on the right bank of Da'an Nen River, 3 kilometres from the city center, with a total area of 5.28 hectares and with a total construction area of 5,100 square meters. The waterways and railways are convenient. It is a good tourist resort. There are 10 kilometres

Do

1 Venice Water Park (威尼斯水上乐园), Baicheng city Taobei District,033 Township, Road No. 999, ☏ +86 436 5889955, +86 436 5889977. (updated Nov 2016)

Buy

Places 1 Darunfa (大润发), Between Qinnan Street and Xinhua West Road in Baicheng city, ☏ +86 18043656875. On the first floor, there are Children's Park, supermarket, and some clothing shops. You can take your children to have fun there and buy some clothes you like. On the second and third floor, there is a big supermarket that is associated with the supermaket on the first floor. You can buy everything you need in your life on the three floors. On the fourth floor, there are many clothing shops, food court, game room and cinema. You can buy clothes, have fun, eat dilicious food and watch the movie here. On the underground, there is a big parking lot. Besides, around Darunfa's building, there are many stores like western restaurant, bakery, restaurants and so on. (updated Oct 2016) 2 Eurasian Shopping Center (欧亚购物中心), Between Crane square and Shengli West Road in Baicheng, ☏ +86 436 5033333. It is another shopping center like Darunfa.On the first floor, there are many jewelry stores and clothing stores.On the second and third floor, there are many clothing stores.On the fourth floor, there are electrical stores and game rooms. (updated Oct 2016) 3 Zhongrun Shopping Center (中润购物中心), Between Yourth Street and Haiming East Road in Baicheng, ☏ +86 436 5892222. On the underground, there is a big supermarket.On the first floor, there are fashion boutique stores.On the second floor, there are gentlemen's stores.On the fourth floor, there are ladies' stores.On the fifth floor, there is an entertainment area.On the sixth floor, there is food court.On the seventh floor, there is fitness club.On the eighth floor, there is a cinema. (updated Oct 2016)

Eat

Suancaibairou. Suancaibairou (酸菜白肉 suāncài báiróu) uses suancai (Chinese sauerkraut) and pork belly as major ingredients. It is Dongbei food. It tasted sour, delicious, salty and fresh. The nutritional value is rich. (updated Oct 2016) Young's Pan Cake. Young's Pan Cake (杨家吊炉饼 yángjiādiào lúbǐng) is created by Yang Yutian (yángyùtián). It has 86 years history. The pancake is tender with a crispy crust and has delicious taste. (updated Oct 2016) Yangmazi Pan Cake. Yangmazi Pan Cake (杨麻子大饼 yángmázi dàbǐng) is another special pan cake. It has 120 years history. The founder is surnamed Yang and get an attack of smallpox when he was young, so he called Yangmazi and the pan cake called Yangmazi Pan Cake. (updated Oct 2016) Nian Dou Bao. (粘豆包 niándòubāo) is a kind of pasta. (updated Nov 2016)

Drink & nightlife

Taonanxiang Wine. Taonanxiang Wine (洮南香白酒 táonánxiāng báijiǔ) is a kind of speciality wine in Baicheng. It has nearly 70 years of history in China. The main raw material is red sorghum, which is mixed with high-quality water and Chinese dates, goji, longan and other ingredients. It looks clear and transparent, with an aroma of pure, elegant wine, a mellow start, and a long finish. It is sold throughout the country. (updated Oct 2016) Taoerhe Wine. Taoerhe Wine (洮儿河白酒 táoérhé báijiǔ) is also a local speciality. But the water comes from the Taoer River, and the beverage is made using double-bottom fermentation, which mixed steaming with slow distillation, and the liquor is stored according to its liquor grade. The taste is also comfortable, with a pleasant aroma and imported liquor taste. It is the first of the four famous wines in Jilin Province in 1963 and also received Gold Medal honors at the Paris International Exposition. (updated Oct 2016)

Sleep

Hexiang Hotel (鹤翔宾馆 Hèxiáng Bīnguǎn), 65 Zhongxin Dongdalu (中兴东大路65号 Zhōngxīng Dōngdàlù). Jihe Hotel, 500 Guangmingnan St, Kaifa District. Baicheng Hotel, 2 Aiguo Road.