Police officer Jia Chenxiang reinforces marker poles identifying the border with Russia in Mohe county, Heilongjiang province. The Heilong River forms the border, and the poles help prevent residents from crossing the border when they are fishing during the winter months. Photo By Chu Fuchao / for China Daily

Husband-and-wife team man northern outpost on border with Russia

The northernmost county in Heilongjiang province overlooks the border with Russia and is the country's coldest place. The Beiji Border Police patrol the area, helping residents and the growing number of tourists who visit the scenic attractions.

Jia Chenxiang has spent untold hours patrolling a 29-kilometer stretch of the border with Russia since becoming the first resident officer at the country's northernmost police office in 2010.

He is based at Luoguhe, a small, remote village in Mohe county, the coldest part of China.

The county, in Heilongjiang province, posted a record low of - 52.3 C in 1956.

"You are so lucky that it is warm these days, and the lowest temperature is no lower than - 35 C," Jia said when China Daily visited him in mid-January.

Jia Chenxiang and his wife, Wang Xiaolian, who is also his assistant, are the only two police officers in Luoguhe, a village in Mohe county. Photo By Chu Fuchao / for China Daily

Luoguhe is 90 km from the county seat and has 71 households and 169 villagers. There are no hospitals, barbershops, public toilets or entertainment venues.

The village is the source of the Heilong River, the country's third longest after the Yangtze and Yellow rivers and the longest border waterway in the world.

Locals live in a type of traditional Russian-style house known as a mukeleng, built using logs that are coated with mud. The homes are warm in winter and cool in summer.

Luoguhe is a quiet place where time seems to stand still. The village is blanketed by snow for half the year, and a single highway connects it to the county seat.

There are no schools, and when the summer vacation starts children who study elsewhere return home.

A police office was opened in 2008, but it was staffed only at certain times of the year, such as periods when fishing is banned.

The police then decided to post an officer there permanently, and Jia applied and was given the job. He arrived in May 2010, and two months later he was joined by his wife, Wang Xiaolian, who was later appointed his assistant. Their office and house are located at the entrance to the village.

Jia, who had been working with the border police since graduating in 2003, spent two months getting to know every household in the village.

The couple are responsible for border management, maintaining public order and running the household registration system.

Jia said, "Protecting the safety of all the villagers is the most important thing."

Eight families have fishing licenses and boats, and fish in the Heilong River for a living. Fishing is banned from June 11 to July 15 and from Oct 1 to 20 to maintain the ecological balance.

Tourists have started to visit the village in recent years to see the source of the river. Some villagers began to take visitors on river trips in their small fishing boats, which is illegal for safety reasons.

Jia managed to persuade them to stop doing this and instead buy commercial tourist boats.

Villager Liu Hongbo, 33, said: "With the funds we raised and loans organized by Jia with the local bank, six families bought five tourist boats. This ensures the tourists' safety and also attracts more of them.

"As a police officer, he is not obliged to help us earn money, but he always considers such matters as his business."

In June 2012, Jia's son Beibei was born.

"Because of the lack of medical facilities in the village, I had to send my wife to her hometown of Rongcheng in Shandong province," he said. "Her parents were able to take care of her there. I went to Rongcheng a week before Beibei was born."

However, just seven days after the baby's arrival, Jia returned to Luoguhe. Because of the extremely cold winters, Beibei lives with his parents only during the short summer. When winter comes, he returns to his grandparents' home.

"In Luoguhe, there is a custom that when a family slaughters a pig for the whole winter, they invite their relatives and close friends to have dinner with them," said Jia. "Each year, I am invited dozens of times.

"I get sick of eating pork, but I feel honored that the villagers consider me as a friend and even a part of their families."

Chu Fuchao contributed to this story.

zhouhuiying@chinadaily.com.cn