Recently, the morning market in Heihe, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, has seen a large influx of Russian residents.Chinese vendors have put up bilingual signs in Chinese and Russian to attract customers. Photo: web

Recently, the morning market in Heihe, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, has seen a large influx of Russian residents since a visa exemption between China and Russia was formally implemented. 

Heihe city is located in the northern part of Heilongjiang Province, facing Russia across the Heilongjiang River. It is one of the first cities in China to open up to the outside world along the border. 

According to a report by China News on September 21, after friendly consultations between China and Russia, Heihe has resumed visa exemption for group tourism between China and Russia. This business was temporarily suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. On September 21, the first visa-free tourist group from China to Russia departed from the Heihe port after the resumption of relevant business. 

On Tuesday, a women surnamed Wang, who runs a traditional bakery in Heihe, said that after the visa exemption between China and Russia was implemented, the income of her shop increased by about 10 percent. Online videos show that a large number of Russian people have recently flocked to Heihe's morning market to buy groceries, have breakfast, and go shopping. 

Chinese vendors have put up bilingual signs in Chinese and Russian to attract customers. Among the bustling crowd, many Russian people are holding beers and enjoying buns or egg burgers. Some people frequently wave to the camera and greet in Chinese. There is also a video recording the encounter of a Russian couple receiving injections at a clinic in Heihe. According to the couple, the medical procedures in Russia are relatively complicated, so they chose to seek medical help in China. .