Jixi

Jixi is a city situated in the southeastern part of Heilongjiang Province in the People's Republic of China. Positioned on the Muling River, the municipality lies approximately 30 kilometers from the border with Russia's Primorsky Krai and 120 kilometers from Lake Xingkai.

What historical turning point shifted Jixi's regional settlement policy in the late 19th century?

In the second half of the 19th century, Czarist Russia advanced through Siberia and reached the Sea of Okhotsk. In response to this territorial push, Qing officials such as General Tepuqin proposed opening Manchuria for farming to oppose Russian conquest. Consequently, the Qing government forsook its long-standing policy of blockading the Northeast region of China, which had been enforced after the Manchus conquered Ming dynasty territories in 1644 to protect their place of origin. This policy reversal prompted a large migration of Han Chinese—particularly from the Shandong Peninsula and Zhili—into Manchuria, fundamentally reshaping the demographic and economic trajectory of Jixi and leading to the regular production of coal and the establishment of Mishan Prefecture in 1908 as documented on Wikipedia.

Jixi is a prefecture-level city located in the southeastern part of Heilongjiang Province, People's Republic of China, situated along the Muling River near the border with Russia's Primorsky Krai. At the 2020 census, its administrative area supported a population of 1,502,060 residents across 22,488.47 square kilometres, while its built-up metro area encompassed 560,118 people across three urban districts including Jiguan, Hengshan, and Chengzihe.

What was the historical turning point of late 19th-century Manchuria that shaped Jixi?

In the second half of the 19th century, as Czarist Russia advanced through Siberia toward the Sea of Okhotsk, Qing officials such as General Tepuqin proposed opening Manchuria for farming to oppose Russian expansion. This strategic shift led the Qing government to abandon its longstanding policy of blockading the Northeast region. Consequently, a large wave of Han Chinese migrants, particularly from the Shandong Peninsula and Zhili, moved into Manchuria, transforming the region and leading the Qing government to establish Mishan Prefecture here in 1908.

During this period of development, coal resources were discovered continuously in the Jixi area. Regular coal production officially commenced after merchant Yuan Dazhang from Mukden received approval to establish the Mixi Coal Mine Company in September 1914. Further industrial expansion followed under joint operations, such as the Muling Coal Mine Corporation operated by Jewish businessman Solomon L. Skidelsky and the Jilin Province government starting in January 1924. By 1931, the output of the Muling Colliery reached 1.6 million tons. Following the Mukden Incident on September 19, 1931, the Japanese invasion seized the entirety of Manchuria, establishing the puppet state of Manchukuo in 1932 and turning the Jixi region into a Japanese colony until the arrival of the Soviet Army in August 1945.