Jiamusi

Jiamusi (Manchu: ᡤᡳᠶᠠᠮᡠᠰᡳ Chinese: 佳木斯; pinyin: Jiāmùsī [ˌtɕiá.mû.sí]; formerly Kiamusze) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China.

Because of the harsh climate and short growing season, the region of modern day Jiamusi was largely uncultivated.

Since the Qing government opened Manchuria for farming in order to prevent the conquest of the area by Russia, Jiamusi developed as a small trading post under the name Dongxing (東興鎮) since 1888.

[4] When Han Chinese and Manchu settlers began to move into the area, Jiamusi became the seat of a county administration, under the name Huachuan in 1910.

After the Xinhai Revolution, as the Han Chinese continued to move in, the population of Jiamusi rose rapidly.

As the Japanese invasion of Manchuria began, Jiamusi was established as an administrative centre of the puppet Manchukuo government.

[5] After the construction of and Tumen-Jiamusi and Suihua-Jiamusi Railway continuously completed in 1937 and 1940, Jiamusi has become an agricultural products distribution center in Heilongjiang.

Industries including manufacturing agricultural equipment, mining machinery, fertilizers, plastics, and chemicals were developed.

Since one of the biggest paper mills in China was built in 1957, Jiamusi has been a major producer of wood pulp and newsprint.

Because of being conveniently connected by air and water to Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East, Jiamusi is also an important harbour for international trade in northeastern China.

Located at latitude 45° 56′−48° 28′ N and longitude 129° 29′−135° 05' E, containing China' easternmost point, although the urban area of Shuangyashan lies further to the east of Jiamusi.

The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from −18.0 °C (−0.4 °F) in January to 22.5 °C (72.5 °F) in July, while the annual mean is 4.0 °C (39.2 °F), and more than 60% of the year's precipitation occurs from June to August.

Jiamusi has long been a major transit port and distribution center of goods, and serves as the economic hub of eastern Heilongjiang province.

[8] Available from mid-April until the beginning of November, passenger ships sail from Jiamusi up the Songhua River to Qiqihar, Harbin or downstream to Tongjiang and Khabarovsk in Russia.

2 Formally part of Oroqen Banner in Inner Mongolia but administered de facto by Daxing'anling Prefecture in Heilongjiang.

Map including Jiamusi (labeled as 佳木斯 CHIA-MU-SSU (KIAMUSZE)) ( AMS , 1955)
Map of Jiamusi (CHIA-MU-SSU (KIAMUSZE))