Xinghuo Korean Ethnic Town in Huachuan County, Jiamusi

Xinghuo Korean Ethnic Township (星火朝鲜族乡) is located on the southern bank of the lower reaches of the Songhua River (松花江), southwest of Huachuan County (桦川县), approximately 19 kilometers from downtown Jiamusi (佳木斯).

It is the only township-level administrative region in Heilongjiang Province where all six administrative villages are officially registered as Korean ethnic villages, making it the province's core Korean ethnic settlement. The township is home to the National AAAA-rated Xinghuo Rice Village Scenic Area (星火稻乡旅游景区).

As the birthplace of New China's first collective farm, Xinghuo is renowned for its century-old Korean ethnic cold-region rice farming culture, revolutionary agricultural history, and rural folk traditions. Agricultural tourism and ethnic cultural study tours have become its flagship tourism industries.

Photo: Entrance Gate of Xinghuo Scenic Area (星火乡景区大门)

Photo: Main Korean Folk Culture Building (朝鲜族民俗主楼)

Photo: Traditional Korean Residential Complex (韩式民居群落)

Korean Ethnic Cultural Heritage

Migration and Land Reclamation History

In 1948, Korean pioneers led by Jin Baishan (金白山) and Li Zaigen (李在根) migrated from Yanbian (延边) and the Korean Peninsula to the marshlands along the Songhua River. Through land reclamation, water management, and cold-region paddy field improvement, they transformed the wilderness into productive farmland.

In 1951, Xinghuo Collective Farm (星火集体农庄) was officially established as the first collective farm in New China. The original charter of the collective farm is now a National First-Class Cultural Relic. Its story has been included in Chinese primary school textbooks.

The township subsequently became home to:

• China's first rural tractor station
• A national cold-region high-yield rice demonstration area
• The pioneering model for large-scale Korean ethnic rice cultivation in northern China

For more than 70 years, generations of Korean residents have lived here, preserving authentic Korean agricultural and cultural traditions.

Today, all 33,000 mu of cultivated land are rice paddies irrigated by the Songhua River. Xinghuo Organic Rice (星火有机大米) has become a geographical indication product of Heilongjiang Province and forms the foundation of the township's unique Korean culinary and agricultural customs.

Intangible Cultural Heritage and Traditional Folk Customs

Traditional Cultural Heritage Projects

The scenic area's heritage workshops preserve and showcase traditional Korean crafts and food-making techniques, including:

• Korean Rice Cake Making (打糕制作)
• Cellar-Fermented Kimchi Production (地窖辣白菜腌制)
• Makgeolli Rice Wine Brewing (玛格丽米酒酿造)
• Samgyetang Chicken Soup (参鸡汤) – Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage
• Turtle Pot Barbecue (龟锅烤肉)

Visitors can personally participate in hands-on workshops.

Seasonal Ethnic Festivals

Apricot Blossom Festival (杏花节)

Late April – Early May

• Korean-style residences surrounded by blooming apricot flowers
• Korean Farmers' Dance (农乐舞)
• Seesaw performances
• Traditional swings
• Korean costume photography events

Summer Intangible Heritage Food Festival (非遗美食节)

July

• Giant ten-meter communal bibimbap feast for thousands of participants
• Traditional Korean wrestling
• Tug-of-war competitions
• Long-drum dance parades
• Participation by residents from all Korean villages

Autumn Harvest Festival (秋收开镰节)

September

• Rice harvesting experiences
• Community kimchi-making activities
• Rice wine sealing ceremonies

Winter Ice and Snow Folk Festival (冰雪民俗节)

• Horse-drawn sled rides
• Ice seesaw activities
• Korean hot pot banquets
• New Year market fairs

Traditional Etiquette and Customs

The township continues to preserve traditional Korean ceremonial customs, including:

Hwangap Banquet (花甲宴)

Traditional longevity celebrations for elders reaching sixty and seventy years old, featuring:

• Younger generations kneeling to offer wine
• Songs and performances honoring elders

Traditional Residential Culture

Many guesthouses faithfully recreate Korean-style homes featuring:

• Heated kang beds (火炕)
• White walls and low windows
• Traditional courtyard layouts

Courtyards are planted with commonly used Korean ingredients such as:

• Balloon Flower Root (桔梗)
• Perilla (苏子)

Korean Cuisine: Core Tourism Food Experience

Based on Xinghuo Rice and Songhua River fisheries, the township has developed a distinctive local Korean culinary tradition.

Intangible Heritage Signature Dishes

Liuhuajie Samgyetang (柳花姐参鸡汤)

Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage featuring whole chicken slowly simmered with glutinous rice and ginseng.

Turtle Pot Barbecue (龟锅烤肉)

Secret-marinated beef grilled on traditional stone cookware.

These dishes have become iconic culinary symbols of Xinghuo Township.

Traditional Home-Style Specialties

• Handmade Rice Cakes (打糕)
• Rice Sausage (米肠)
• Cellar-Fermented Kimchi (地窖发酵辣白菜)
• Korean Cold Noodles (大冷面)
• Perilla Leaf Rice Wraps (苏子叶包饭)
• Bibimbap (石锅拌饭)
• Soybean Paste Soup (酱汤)

Songhua River Freshwater Dishes

• Songhua River Fish Hot Pot (松花江鱼锅)
• Braised Mixed River Fish (杂鱼酱炖)
• Local Rice Paddy Crabs (稻田蟹)

Recommended Souvenirs

• Xinghuo Organic Rice (星火有机大米)
• Homemade Rice Wine
• Handmade Kimchi
• Dried Wild Mountain Vegetables

Photo: Korean Ethnic Signature Cuisine (朝鲜族特色菜品)

Photo: Turtle Pot Barbecue (龟锅烤肉)

Four Major Tourism Experiences

Korean Folk Culture Experience Tour

Korean Folk Culture Commercial Street & Heritage Workshops

The commercial street features:

• Traditional Korean-style gateways
• White-wall and blue-tile architecture
• Korean restaurants
• Handicraft stores

Visitors can participate in:

• Rice cake pounding
• Kimchi making
• Rice wine brewing

Traditional Korean costumes such as Jeogori (则高利短衣) and Chima (契玛长裙) are available for photography experiences throughout the scenic area.

Korean Folk Homestay Cluster

More than 50 Korean-style courtyard guesthouses offer:

• Traditional heated kang accommodations
• Authentic Korean home-style meals
• Evening folk music and dance flash performances

Folk Culture Museum & Former Residence of Li Zaigen (李在根故居)

Exhibits include:

• Traditional farming tools
• Korean ethnic costumes
• Historic household items
• Land reclamation archives

The museum faithfully recreates the living conditions of the early collective farm period.

Photo: Interior Exhibition Hall of Folk Culture Museum (民俗馆内部展区)

Revolutionary Agricultural Study Tour (红色农耕研学游)

Xinghuo Museum (星火馆)

Dedicated to the history of China's first collective farm, the museum systematically presents:

• The development of Xinghuo Collective Farm
• Korean ethnic pioneering and land reclamation history
• First-generation agricultural machinery and equipment

It serves as a designated patriotic education and study-tour base for schools throughout Heilongjiang Province.

Xinghuo Time Supply and Marketing Cooperative (星火拾光复古供销社)

A recreated mid-20th-century cooperative store showcasing:

• Collective farm lifestyle scenes
• Educational exhibits
• Retro photo opportunities

Ten-Thousand-Mu Rice Field Ecological Sightseeing Tour (万亩稻田生态观光游)

Xinghuo Observation Tower (星火观光塔)

The 40-meter tower offers:

• Elevator and staircase access
• 360-degree views of vast rice fields
• Seasonal landscapes from green summer paddies to golden autumn harvests

The rice fields feature giant colorful rice-field artworks depicting Korean ethnic culture and collective farm themes.

A scenic rice-field train travels through the paddies.

Photo: Giant Rice Field Artwork 1 

Photo: Giant Rice Field Artwork 2

Lotus Wetland Park (荷花湿地公园)

Features include:

• A 2.8-kilometer waterside boardwalk
• Blooming lotus ponds from June to August
• Connections between rice fields and waterways
• Fishing opportunities
• Leisurely wetland walks

Family-Friendly Recreational Facilities

• 430-meter Glass Water Slide
• Rice Field Maze
• Family Countryside Playground
• Rainbow Slide

These attractions make the scenic area suitable for both leisure travelers and families.

Songhua River Leisure Tour (松花江沿江休闲游)

The township borders the Songhua River to the north and is only a ten-minute drive from the riverside.

Activities include:

• Wetland sightseeing
• Riverside walks
• Fresh fish markets
• Connections to Huachuan Riverside Park

Together, they form a complete "Rice Field Culture + Riverside Scenery" one-day travel circuit.

Recommended Travel Itineraries (成熟精品旅游线路)

One-Day Tour (Ideal for Jiamusi Visitors)

Xinghuo Museum → Former Residence of Li Zaigen → Heritage Workshop (Rice Cake Making Experience) → Xinghuo Observation Tower & Rice Field Artworks → Lotus Boardwalk → Korean Folk Street Lunch (Samgyetang + Turtle Pot Barbecue) → Traditional Costume Photography at Homestay → Return Journey

Two-Day In-Depth Tour

Day 1

• Korean Folk Culture Experiences
• Rice Field Sightseeing
• Evening Korean Food Night Market

Day 2

• Songhua River Photography Tour
• Wild Mountain Vegetable Harvesting
• Purchase of Rice and Kimchi Specialties

Best Time to Visit

Late April – May (Apricot Blossom Season)

• White-walled Korean residences surrounded by apricot blossoms
• Flower viewing and spring farming experiences

June – August (Summer)

• Blooming lotus ponds
• Green rice paddies
• Intangible Heritage Food Festival
• The widest range of tourism activities throughout the year

September – October (Harvest Season)

• Golden rice fields
• Rice harvesting experiences
• Kimchi-making traditions
• Peak season for rice purchases

December – February (Winter)

• Snow-covered Korean villages
• Horse-drawn sled rides
• Korean hot pot experiences
• Winter folk tourism

Photo: Snow-Covered Korean Village in Winter (冬季雪景村落)

Recommended Souvenirs and Local Products

Agricultural Products

• Xinghuo Organic Rice (星火有机大米)
• Dried Rice Paddy Crab Products (稻田蟹干货)

Traditional Korean Foods

• Handmade Kimchi
• Rice Sausage
• Homemade Rice Wine
• Dried Wild Mountain Vegetables

Handicrafts

• Korean Textile Products (朝鲜族布艺)
• Traditional Kimchi Gift Boxes (传统泡菜礼盒)