Qiqihar

Qiqihar stands on the eastern bank of the Nen, where river and road meet in the heart of northern Manchuria. Before the city was built, the nearby settlement and relay station were known as Bukui. The Qing chose the site for a fortified garrison, giving it the name Qiqihar after a settlement across the river. Its inner wooden wall and outer earthen wall enclosed a new centre of frontier government.

Construction began in 1691, amid concern for the defense of the northern frontier and the protection of Daur communities. In 1699 the general of Heilongjiang moved his headquarters here from Mergen. Qiqihar's position on the road between Jilin and the Amur made it a hub for orders, supplies and troops, while its garrison oversaw a vast territory of forests, rivers and grasslands.