China’s Unique Russian Ethnic Township – Roomway Ancient Town
Roomway, also known as Jiralin, is located at the northern end of Inner Mongolia, bordering the Greater Hingganling Mountains along the bank of the Eren Dava River. It is situated on the banks of the Eren Dava River and is separated from the Russian town of Orkhon by only a river. In 2001, the Russian Ethnic Township of Jiralin was established in April, and more than 1800 households live here, of which 63% are of Han-Russian descent. Roomway was listed as one of China’s “Ten Most Charming Towns” in 2005 by CCTV, with two reasons: it is the birthplace of Mongolian and it is one of only a few Russian ethnic townships in China, possessing the title “2005 CCTV National Best Charming Towns”. The town's landscape is unique and charming, with ancient roads stretching from afar and the Eren Dava River flowing through the town. Many people come to the river to fish, enjoying the beautiful blue scenery. Opposite the river is the Russian town of Orkhon, where you can appreciate the foreign scenery. The suburbs are covered in green grass and colorful flowers, with a gentle breeze, which is pleasing and refreshing.
Despite its small size, Roomway has a long history. As early as the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Roomway Mongolian tribe lived here, mainly engaging in nomadic life and hunting and fishing. In 1908, during the 34th year of the Qing Dynasty (1908), the Jiralin Administration was established to manage administrative affairs; in 1920, the Republic of China established Roomway County here. In the late 19th century, Russian nobles and capitalists rushed into our country to mine and trade, and Russian peasants also crossed the border to graze and settle down. Many Chinese-Russian young men and women formed couples and had children, gradually forming the Han-Russian descendants.
Roomway Ancient Town is located on the border between China and Russia, opposite the Orkhon Village in Russia across the Eren Dava River, it is a veritable border town and one of the few Russian ethnic townships in China. Anyone who watched ‘The Field’ will almost be attracted by the wheat fields. This beautiful wheat field is located in Roomway Town, the northernmost city of Eren Dava in Inner Mongolia. The main attractions of Roomway Ancient Town are Friendship Bridge and Eren Dava River. The Friendship Bridge was designed by the Hulunbuir City Road Survey and Planning Design Institute and built to commemorate the traditional friendship between China and Russia. The bridge body is a reinforced concrete structure, with a total length of 310.59 meters. The Eren Dava River flows through Roomway Ancient Town, which is the best place to fish and watch the Russian town of Orkhon across the river.
In recent years, the Roomway Russian Ethnic Township has attracted many domestic and foreign tourists with its unique natural scenery and rich Russian lifestyle. Especially ‘Russian Family Home’ family tours, letting guests open their eyes, and have been widely welcomed by tourists. Here you can eat authentic Leban, the owner will warmly teach you how to make Leban, eat the Russian pickled cucumbers made by the owner, salmon, homemade red bean wine, Russian steam bath, truly experiencing the Russian traditional family living habits. In summer and autumn, the owner will take you to the mountains to pick wild fruits and mushrooms, to the river to fish. If you encounter the Russian traditional Basky Festival, tourists can hold hands with Russian locals to play the accordion and sing ‘Moscow Nights’ and ‘Red Berry Flowers’, and dance cheerful Russian dances.
When a newcomer first arrives in Roomway Town, they will be surprised to find that it is not a town in the usual sense. In most people's impression, a town should be bustling and lively, but this town is completely different. Its land is vast and sparsely populated, so it is more appropriate to call it a village. There are few buildings, and the most common buildings are called ‘wood kang’ independent houses. The courtyard of the kang is made of birch wood, with neat birch wood chopping piles in front and behind the kang. The ‘wood kang’ looks simple on the outside, but the interior is very rich. The living room is clean and bright, with white and smooth walls, and wooden floors in some rooms, which are very clean. There is also a wood-made sauna in the house, with several bundles of birch leaves hanging on the walls. These leaves are used to lightly slap the body when steaming, which can relax the whole body.
Roomway Ancient Town's streets are paved with sand and stone. The streets on both sides have dense green vegetation. There are not many people on the street, making it difficult to know where to go. When driving to a steep slope, you can't continue driving, you will find - a few dozen meters from the slope, the Eren Dava River flows north and flows across the green and vast grassland, which is spacious and staggered. Roomway Ancient Town's water is blue, the sky is blue, and the clouds are white. Between the blue sky and white clouds, there are occasionally a few local people riding horses. This completely fits the scene depicted in Tenggel's ‘Heaven’.
