Travel Notes|The Orthodox Church on Heixiazi Island

Not far after crossing the Naoli River, we arrived at Fuyuan County in the northeastern corner of China. There is a large archway standing beside the city, which is written as the first county in the East. The county town is small and very clean. The deepest impression that left on me was that the streets were full of shops selling fishing gear.

After lunch in the county town, we went straight to Heixiazi Island. Heixiazi Island, also known as Fuyuan Delta, got its name because of the presence of black bears. Russia calls this island Great Ussuri Island. The island is located at the intersection of the Heilongjiang River and the Wusuli River. It consists of three island systems, including Yinlong Island, Heixiazi Island, and Mingyue Island. It covers an area of about 327 square kilometers and is full of water branches.

Historically, Heixiazi Island was Chinese territory. In 1929, Zhang Xueliang wanted to take back the Middle Road and fought a war with the Soviet Union. He failed, but the Soviet Union occupied the island. After 1949, the Chinese government conducted 40 years of negotiations with the Soviet Union and Russia over the ownership of Heixiazi Island. It was not until July 2001 that the two sides finally decided to divide Heixiazi Island equally. The western part near Fuyuan belongs to China, and the eastern part near Khabarovsk belongs to Russia.

At present, the Chinese side of the island is undergoing extensive development, bridges have been repaired, and scenic spots have been built, but the Russian side is still in a barbaric state. Looking at the map, further east of the national border, there should be some Russian farms. However, sitting on the bus in the scenic spot, you can only see our outpost and an Orthodox church from the Russian side from a distance.

The church is more than 20 meters high and was built by Russia in October 1999. It is said that at that time when the two sides were demarcating the border, a local official in Russia heard that Heixiazi Island might be returned to China and specially arranged for its construction. The entire construction process did not take more than a month. Even the golden dome of the church was airlifted by helicopter. There is a square hut a few dozen meters to the west of the church. It is said to be a Russian garrison post. However, it looks a bit in disrepair and does not look like it can be lived in. There seems to be no bridge on the Russian side, so transportation is probably inconvenient.

Both sides set up barbed wire fences along the national border, allowing only birds to pass freely.

The Russian power tower is a bit like a red alert.

China has built a wetland park here, but it doesn’t have any special features. I guess it will attract more tourists in the summer due to its reputation.

As expected, it is the easternmost point of the motherland, and it is also past the autumnal equinox, so the sun sets very early.

In the wilderness, this church is also very eye-catching. Down the river, not far away is Khabarovsk. Russia's Far East is such a big place. If Irkutsk is not included, the larger cities are Khabarovsk and Vladivostok. In addition, it is said that Kamchatka is a good place and you should visit it when.