Mudanjiang

Mudanjiang (Chinese: 牡丹江; pinyin: Mǔdānjiāng; Manchu: Mudan bira), alternately romanized as Mutankiang, is a prefecture-level city in the southeast part of Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China. It was called Botankou under Japanese occupation. It serves as a regional transport hub with a railway junction and an international airport connecting with several major Chinese cities as well as Incheon International Airport serving Seoul. Mudanjiang is located 248 km (154 mi) from Vladivostok, Russia. In 2011, Mudanjiang had a GDP of RMB 93.48 billion with a 15.1% growth rate. In 2015, Mudanjiang had a GDP of RMB 118.63 billion.[2] As of the 2020 census Mudanjiang had a population of 2,290,208, of whom 930,051 lived in the 4 urban districts comprising the built-up area of the city. In 2007, the city was listed as one of China's top ten livable cities by Chinese Cities Brand Value Report, which was released at the 2007 Beijing Summit of China Cities Forum.[3] Mudanjiang was originally populated by the Sushen 2,300 years ago. They lived in the valley of the Mudan River, and established the State of Mo (貊國).[4] During the Tang dynasty, Balhae established their Upper capital Longquan Fu (Yongcheon bu) near Lake Jingpo south of Mudanjiang around 755 AD. On January 14, 926, Yongcheon fell while Balhae was defeated by the Khitans.[5][6]