Continuing from the previous chapter: " Self-driving trip to Hulunbuir Grassland in Inner Mongolia, seeing the grassland from an aerial perspective, so beautiful (32) "
After seeing the most beautiful Hulunbuir Prairie, the next destination is: Manzhouli National Gate.
Figure 1 Map
When I went there (June 2019), part of the "Haiman First-Class Highway" from Chenbalhu Banner to Manzhouli was open to traffic in one direction. One side was completely closed for road construction. Fortunately, there were not many cars at that time, and the few spots where there was a slight blockage cleared up after a while.
Figure 2 The beautiful Hulunbuir Prairie, Chapter 32 of the Grassland Travel Notes.
Figure 3 1 km from the end of Haiman Class I Highway
There are also some sections of roads under construction and access roads with relatively large potholes. Vehicles with low chassis need to go around them. Do not follow behind the dump trucks, which will eat dust and easily fall into the potholes.
Figure 4 Officially entering Manzhouli
**Note:** It is strictly prohibited to fly all kinds of small and medium-sized drones near national borders!
Figure 5 Zalainol
After passing Zhalainuoer District, we entered Manzhouli City.
At first, I went straight to the Manzhouli National Gate and didn’t notice the “Manzhouli Matryoshka Square”. I had checked it out before, but I didn’t think about going here. When I was approaching the National Gate Scenic Area, I saw it on the roadside. A huge matryoshka doll.
Figure 6 Huge matryoshka doll
You read that right, it is huge. Standing in the distance, this matryoshka doll logo is much taller than the building next to it.
I was a little surprised at the time. Starting from Mohe, Heilongjiang, I saw many matryoshka doll artworks along the way. The largest one was just over 1 meter. Is this the proper posture of the matryoshka doll?
Then he turned the car around and went to the Matryoshka Doll Square to see what was going on.
**Matryoshka Square**
Figure 7 Manzhouli Matryoshka Scenic Area
There are many parking lots here in Matryoshka Square. Students who are not familiar with this area are advised not to park casually on the roadside. I found a free spot and parked my car.
Figure 8 The entrance fee to the Matryoshka Doll Scenic Spot is 100 yuan.
It was already past 2 pm when I arrived. Matryoshka Square was not part of the plan. I was worried that I would not have enough time to go to the country gate, so I didn’t stay here long.
Therefore, Manzhouli Matryoshka Square has become a regret point on my self-driving trip around China.
The most beautiful time to come to Manzhouli Matryoshka Doll Square is at night, so it is great to stay here for one night. After I left Manzhouli, a netizen joined me and sent some photos and short videos of Matryoshka Doll Square. It was really Makes me envious.
With the permission of this friend, I would like to share with you some photos of the night view of Manzhouli.
At Manzhouli Matryoshka Square, in addition to the gorgeous night view, there are also various art performances. In short, here you can experience what a border port city is: prosperous.
Of course, if you want to experience the "prosperity" here, you need to have a bigger wallet. The surrounding hotels are a little more upscale and will cost you 888 overnight. If you haven't paid yet, your wallet will be fine (issued to the National Economy) ).
**Manzhouli National Gate Scenic Area**
It's about three to five kilometers from Matryoshka Square to the Manzhouli National Gate Scenic Area, and it's just a short drive away.
The feeling of this city to me is that it is "empty". The emptiness here does not mean that it is unpopular, but that "the roads are too wide". Maybe it is because there are few cars. Maybe I have been in Beijing for a long time and the traffic in any city is smoother. , "hallucination" occurs.
Figure 17 Manzhouli National Gate Scenic Spot Ticketing Hall
When you arrive at Manzhouli Guomen Scenic Area, there are two parking places, one is the parking lot on the side of the ticketing hall of the scenic area, and the other is directly opposite the ticketing hall and on the surrounding roadsides.
Personally, I don’t recommend parking on the side of the road. I don’t know if there is a sticker on it, but it may cause some unnecessary trouble. It costs tens of dollars to park in the parking lot, but it is very troublesome to park outside and get scratched. .
When I went there, the parking lot was under construction and there was no charge.
Figure 18 Tour map of Guomen Scenic Area
The fare in Guomen Scenic Area is: 70 yuan, no other consumption.
After buying the tickets, I couldn't wait to walk to the ticket gate of the scenic spot. This may be the closest scenic spot I have seen between the ticket office and the ticket gate. They are forty or fifty meters apart.
Not far from the gate of the Guomen Scenic Area, the fifth-generation Guomen Scenic Area in Manzhouli appeared in front of me.
Wow~ It’s so majestic! ! !
So majestic!
Figure 21.22.23 Manchuria’s fifth-generation national gate
I was so excited that I almost cursed. I had only seen our national gate on TV before, but at this moment, it was right in front of me.
Whether I move or not, it remains motionless, standing where the motherland needs it.
The first-generation national gate was just a sculpture, a wooden stake with the two-headed iron bird, the Russian national emblem, on it.
The second-generation national gate is just a low-rise gate built around 1920. It is located opposite Zabaikalsk station. It says Sino-Soviet Gate. Due to the passage of time and the baptism of war, in 1949, the Sino-Soviet Gate was renamed. Unilaterally dismantled by the Soviet Union.
The third-generation national gate, built in 1968, is an inspection bridge built by China to inspect vehicles entering and exiting the Sino-Soviet border. It has the words "Proletarians of the world unite" written on it.
The fourth-generation National Gate was built on June 25, 1989, and straddles two broad-gauge and standard-gauge railways.
There is a famous check-in point in the Manzhouli National Gate Scenic Area, which is Boundary Monument No. 41.
Figure 25 Boundary Monument No. 41
Before the 1990s, this was a passage for passengers and goods from China and Russia. Later, with the increase in trade between the two countries, a new highway port was built in 1993, and there was boundary monument No. 41 between the Manzhouli National Gate and the Russian National Gate.
The boundary monument is in Chinese on the front and Russian on the back. It is a symbol of the motherland's territory, solemn and sacred, and inviolable.
Figure 26 Russia’s National Gate
Standing next to Boundary Monument No. 41 and looking at the Russian National Gate opposite, the old Big Brother...
While I was wandering around, a train loaded with timber came from the Russian side. I didn't count how many knots it was, and it took a full three or four minutes.
Figure 27 The train passing through the country gate
A train that travels in front of you at a speed of 30-50km/h for three or four minutes will feel very long. Later, I checked it and found that this kind of train transporting wood is indeed longer, about five or six minutes. It looks like ten knots.
Then we went to the second floor of the Guomen Scenic Area, that is, to the Guomen Building.
The space upstairs is very large, and of course you can tell from the outside. There are some prescribed visiting routes, and others are restricted areas.
On the second floor, the entire floor is an exhibition hall, which is very large, ranging from the Manzhouli Railway Station in the late Qing Dynasty, to various histories during the Republic of China, to various modern renovations.
Figure 29 The style of the old city in Manzhouli
At the beginning of the 18th century, the China-Eastern Railway was built, passing through Manzhouli, and "Manzhouli Station" was set up.
During important historical periods in our country, Manzhouli Gate transported important foreign materials to our country from here, which effectively supported our country's economic construction and strengthened trade with foreign countries.
Standing on the second floor of the national gate, overlooking the Russian border of Zabaikalsk on the opposite side.
In the Manchuria National Gate Scenic Area, there is also a "Locomotive Square". On display here is an "Asia" steam locomotive made in Japan in 1940. The rails under the locomotive are 43 rails made in the Soviet Union in 1925.
This locomotive has been running on the land of China for more than half a century, performing a "trilogy" of life milestones, and leaving behind many little-known stories.
From 1950 to 1965, this locomotive galloped happily on the steel transportation line constructed by the motherland and made indelible contributions. Therefore, the people of Manzhouli named it "Manzhouli".
The mottled history has left great imprints on them.
Of course, the history of Manzhouli cannot be fully explained in just a few sentences. In view of the limited space of the travel notes, please refer to the additional history by yourself.
After more than a hundred years of historical changes, the Manzhouli National Gate, as one of the important national gates in northern my country, appears before our eyes with its majestic figure.
Don’t forget history, be grateful for the present, and be happy forever.
After coming out of the Guomen Scenic Area, I still felt a little unsatisfied. I stood at the entrance of the scenic area for a long time, observing the people coming and going.
At this time, suddenly there was a burst of exclamation from the crowd:
"Oh, this is interesting..."
"How much does this cost?"
"How did this move?"
Then the people nearby gathered around him one after another.
Before I could understand what was going on, a very demonic voice suddenly came from the crowd: "Ouch, the soldier lying on the ground!!!"
"Huh? The soldiers on the ground?" I was so confused that I walked towards the crowd of onlookers...