Bei'an

Introduction

Bei'an is a county-level city in west-central Heilongjiang province, under the jurisdiction of Heihe. It once served as the provincial capital of Bei'an province in Manchukuo, the puppet state established by Japan during the Second World War.

The city earned the unofficial moniker "Gun City" as the home of Factory #626, which mainly manufactured Chinese clones of Second World War firearms and Type 56 rifles. The factory was eventually privatized in the 1980s as the Shougang Kingho Plant, and it went bankrupt in 2006. Six years later, a museum detailing the history of Factory #626 opened.

Three days in Bei'an

Day one: Start in Bei'an, a city in Heilongjiang, and get your bearings in the streets around the centre before turning to the period that shaped it. The years of Manchukuo and the Japanese occupation leading into the Second World War left their mark here, and you can spend the afternoon tracing that history through what remains of the old urban fabric.

Day two: Give the day to the city's industrial side. The Shougang Kingho Plant is the anchor, and the surrounding Factory district shows you how heavy industry and everyday life were laid out together. Note the Chinese and Type markings on structures as you go, and take your time - the scale of the plant rewards a slow walk rather than a quick pass.

Day three: Head out towards Heihe if you want a change of scene, or stay in Bei'an and fill the morning with the parts of the centre you missed. Gun City is the obvious stop for anyone drawn to the region's military past, and it rounds off the three days neatly before you move on.