Heilongjiang Province Focuses on Organic Foods, Ecotourism

Heilongjiang takes advantage of its natural resources and mild weather

With its abundant natural resources and good ecology, Heilongjiang province is gearing up to develop organic food and ecotourism industries.

The Northeast China province is covered with the largest farmland in the country. Its temperate climate and adequate rainfall make it an ideal place to cultivate agricultural products.

With large rivers and lakes across the province and forests covering more than 45 percent of its land, Heilongjiang features both picturesque landscapes and natural advantages for organic food production.

Lu Hao, governor of Heilongjiang province, said the organic food industry has the highest growth potential among other industries in the province and the government has been devoting a lot of effort to its development.

"We need to grow and produce the best organic products, and more importantly, to sell well," Lu said.

According to the government, every year it invests 50 million yuan ($8 million) to help organic food companies promote their products around the country.

The government also set up a special department, led by the governor, to collaborate and deal with major issues in the industry.

Starting from 2013, Heilongjiang has offered 800 million yuan to 1 billion yuan as financial support for specific companies each year.

"As people's living standard improves, their demands for organic food are increasing," Lu said. He added that processed food products account for an increasingly larger proportion of food consumption, which provides a huge market for the industry.


Organic Food Expos
The province has set up organic food expos since 2013 in major cities including Beijing, Hong Kong and Harbin, and also participated in other large expos around the country.

The province opened an organic food flagship store in Hong Kong on Feb 25, 2014. More than 200 types of products including dried fruits, grains and food ingredients attracted a lot of local customers.

During the Heilongjiang Organic Food Expo in September 2014, representatives for some 2,500 buyers from 31 regions in the country took part and sought business opportunities.

The provincial government has released regulations to facilitate organic food promotion. It has also set up the Heilongjiang Organic Food Exhibition Association, covering companies in manufacturing, processing and sales.

Last August, 30 Heilongjiang organic food stores opened in Beijing selling more than 200 products. The products are transported directly from the manufacturing sites in Heilongjiang, which reduces the costs and offers more benefits for the local costumers.

According to Chen Yunhao, director of the China Green Food Development Center, Heilongjiang plans to set up 100 organic food flagship stores and 3,000 chain stores around the country. In the future, the organic food sales network will also cover oversea markets such as South Korea, Russia and Southeast Asia.

The province's organic food companies have now opened 55 flagship stores and more than 1,000 chain stores.


Ecotourism
The Heilongjiang Forest Industry Administration manages nearly one-fourth of the province's land. The region controlled by the administration has almost all kinds of the province's natural landscapes, as well as a range of scenic areas.

The administration has set its eyes on ecotourism and aims to develop tourism destinations that integrate all the resources it has and can be available all year round.

The Snow Country of Hailin city is a cluster of snow landscapes and skiing resorts. It recently built a new section called the Colorful Dream Wonderland, which is a new scenic spot with entertainment facilities. One of China's most popular reality shows, Dad, Where Are We Going?, shot one episode there. The wonderland is devised for family travelers, as family trips became more popular after the show.

The Yabuli Skiing Resort launched in December a new service that allows people to enjoy skiing on the resort's three different mountains with the swipe of just one card.

The resort now manages the three mountains under one system. Skiers can experience 46 varied trails on the mountains after purchasing a pass.

The resort also opened an exhibition center on snow culture in December.

Phoenix Mountain of Shanhetun in Wuchang city is a famed summer holiday destination. Now the local government is also tapping into the winter market by building a snow park.

Opened earlier this year, the snow park features regular snow entertainment such as skiing and snowmobiling.

It also has unique wood buildings that look like local farmhouses where people can stop to enjoy local teas and food.

Weihu Mountain in Hailin city was made famous in the novel Tracks in the Snowy Forest by Qu Bo, about a hero named Yang Zirong using his courage and intelligence to infiltrate and defeat a heavily armed group of bandits in Northeast China.

The Chaihe Forest Industry Bureau that manages the Weihu Mountain area launched a new tourism product, the Snow Village, in December 2014.

The Snow Village features more than 30 types of snow entertainment. During the 2015 Spring Festival, the village also offered a range of local folk cultural events.

The local government has come up with plans to develop a themed tourism area based on the story in Tracks in the Snowy Forest. The Hailin Forest Industry Bureau, which is in charge of the project, has been working on infrastructure construction and is also paying more attention to promotion.

The Hailin bureau has organized a photography competition and also visited travel agencies in the surrounding cities to promote the Weihu Mountain area. It is also cooperating with universities and has held promotion events on campuses.

The bureau also worked with local cinemas to promote the movie The Taking of Tiger Mountain, which was shot in the Weihu Mountain area.