Mohe, China's Northernmost City

Mohe Railway Station - China's northernmost railway station

Nestled deep within the Greater Khingan Mountain range among deciduous forests, Mohe is China’s “Arctic” region, though it is several thousand kilometers south of the Arctic Circle. Its northern edge is on the Heilongjiang, the river for which Heilongjiang Province is named (the river is also called the Amur River), and from which one can look across to Russia. Mohe is part of Daxing’anling Prefecture, which stretches from Jiagedaqi, Inner Mongolia (the prefecture seat) all the way north and east to the Heilong River.

Mohe, Daxing'anling Prefecture, Heilongjiang Province (Mohe is in pink at the top left).

Mohe is quite remote and sparsely populated. What population there is can be found mainly in the “city” near the Mohe Railway Station and Mohe Gulian Airport and also in a couple of villages: Beiji Village (referred to as “Arctic Village”) and Beihong Village. The villages are more than 50 kilometers from the railway station and the airport, and can only be accessed by road. To get to Beiji Village, where most of the attractions are, you have to go through the “Arctic Village” forest preserve; the entrance fee to this national park is 65 RMB. To get anywhere from the train station or airport, you’ll have to arrange transportation. The transportation I arranged in advance to get to my accommodation in Beiji Village was 240 RMB.

Nestled in the mountains.

Looking across the river in Beiji Village at the Russian side of the Greater Khingan Mountain Range.

Speaking of accommodation, where does one stay in Mohe? Well, there is a surprising number of choices, but don’t expect to find any national or international hotel chains. Your choices will be among the several small hotels, youth hostels, and farm stays. I chose a farm stay in Beiji Village at 60 RMB per night.

The farm stay where I stayed.

So, why would anyone want to go to Mohe? Surprisingly enough, there are tourist attractions. Mohe itself is China’s northernmost city. Within it, you can find China’s northernmost airport, northernmost railway station, northernmost forest preserve, northernmost village, northernmost point, northernmost outpost, northernmost post office - well, you get the idea. In addition, there is a place to go skiing and (one of the reasons I went in January) a Santa Claus House theme park. If you’re staying in Beiji Village, you can walk to the northernmost outpost and northernmost post office. To see other places, such as the Santa Claus House, China’s northernmost point, Beihong Village, and other parts of the forest preserve, you’ll have to arrange transportation (I paid 100 RMB for a taxi to the Santa Claus House; for 500 RMB, my farm stay host was quite happy to take me around to most of the other places I saw, some of which were definitely not on any of the lists of “things to do” found on websites like trip.com or tripadvisor.com).

China's northernmost post office.

China's northernmost outpost.

Coffee and wine (but mostly wine) shop.

Taken from the main square in Beiji Village.

Nestled in the mountains.

The drive we took after leaving Beihong Village.

My driver took us onto this "road" on the river.

Santa Claus House.

It's always Christmas at Santa Claus House.

Some parts of Mohe are so remote that you can’t even get a cellphone signal; so, bring cash and forget about paying for anything with WeChat or Alipay.

Some sort of primitive village where they raise some kind of reindeer.

Part of the forest preserve.

This is at Heilongjiang First Bay. The best views are at the top of the mountain.

This is generally how people climb mountains in China.

You have to climb a lot of stairs to experience this view!

China's northernmost point.

Entrance to Beihong Village.

When I planned my trip to Mohe, I was expecting it to be quite cold ⏤ as in approaching -40 degrees (the average low temperature in January is around -36 degrees Celsius, and the average high temperature is around -21 degrees Celsius). I was pleasantly surprised to find it unseasonably warm as the temperature hovered around the minus low-mid teens, and even as high as -10 degrees Celsius; on the day I left, though, the temperature was a more seasonable -30 degrees Celsius. Still, if you’re going in the winter (which in Mohe lasts from mid-October to late-April), it’s important to be prepared; so, pack enough thick, warm clothes and wear appropriate coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and so on.

Mohe’s climate (like the rest of Daxing’anling Prefecture) is subarctic with discontinuous permafrost. So, there isn’t much agriculture. However, blueberries grow wild here and, consequently, there’s quite a blueberry products industry ⏤ candies, jams, juices, and wines (including ice wine). Be sure to pick some up during your stay.

If you’re looking for breathtaking scenery, and have a sense of adventure, Mohe should be on your travel itinerary.