Premier Li Keqiang presents a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in Moscow on Monday.  Liu Zhen / China News Service

Cold air was the first welcome present to me from the city of Heihe.

Even though it was still late September, I had to put on a sweater as soon as I left Heihe Airport. In the evening, the temperature can drop to as low as 5 C, reminding everyone that this is the northernmost area in China.

It's easy to see that Heihe is a green city, since vegetation covers nearly 50 percent of it. The leaves of the trees, most of which are birches, have not yet fallen, and the hills around the city are colored with green, yellow and red. I was astonished by this beautiful first impression of the city.

However, what astonished me most about Heihe was that the city is full of Russian icons. Not only can we see Russian-style statues in parks all over the border city, but also Russian menus in restaurants, and even Russian signs and notifications along the streets.

Most Russians come to the city by ferry. However, under an agreement signed between the governments of Heilongjiang province and Russia's Amurskaya Oblast during the China-Russia Expo in June, construction of a new Heilongjiang bridge is to begin before June 2015.

Zhang Enliang, mayor of Heihe, said construction of the Heilongjiang bridge will definitely boost the economic development of Heihe, and will attract more Russians to the city.

When walking downtown, I found that price tags in stores were written in both Chinese and Russian. I tried to speak Russian with some shop assistants and was surprised to find that almost every local salesclerk was fluent in Russian.

Feng Li, a saleswoman running a small grocery in the city center, said she learned Russian when she was very young.

Located in Northeast China, Heihe is next to the city of Blagoveshchensk in Russia's Far East. And thanks to its geographical advantage and low prices, the city has become a prized vacation destination among border cities for Russians.

"Russians do not even need a Chinese visa to visit this city," according to a Heihe border control official.

At the border port, I met Lena Malina, a Russian, in the line to the customhouse.

She told me that she lived in Yevreyskaya Avtonomnaya Oblast in the Far East and came to Heihe twice a week.

"Sometimes I come to visit some friends, and usually I just come alone to relax and do some shopping," said Malina. "The city is very beautiful, and more important, the prices here are very attractive."

Ye Hailin, an official of the Heihe Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, told me that Russians come to Heihe mainly for vacation or shopping.

While prices are a key attraction for Russians, the convenient customs clearance is another crucial factor.

Zhang Daqing, director of Immigration Control of Heihe Border Port, said that Russian citizens have not needed a visa to visit Heihe since 2006.

About 4,000 to 7,000 people come to China or leave for Russia each day via the Heihe border port, he added.

To attract more Russians to the city, Heihe built an 8,489-square-meter Immigration Control Center.

Mayor Zhang said that economic cooperation between Heihe and Russian cities jumped in the past 10 years.

Of all the Chinese border cities, the mayor added, Heihe is the nearest one to Russia, and therefore has been given the nickname "Bridge Between China and Russia".

Contact the writer at renqi@chinadaily.com.cn