Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Beijing, March 26 (Xinhua) — In the six months since the introduction of a visa-free regime for Russian citizens, the city of Dongning in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has welcomed 23,700 Russian tourists, an 85 percent increase year-on-year, according to a statement posted on the official website of the Dongning mayor's office on Tuesday.
As a reminder, China introduced a trial visa-free regime for Russian citizens holding regular passports from September 15, 2025, to September 14, 2026. Russian citizens holding valid passports can visit China visa-free for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, exchanging visits, and transit. Their visa-free stay in China cannot exceed 30 days.
In response to the needs of Russian tourists, Dongning City Hall has implemented a new model for the integrated development of medicine and tourism, launching health tourism routes such as three-day trips for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) physiotherapy, two-day trips for dental treatment, and two-day trips for medical examinations, which are aimed at combining high-quality medical services with tourism.
By combining the efforts of three medical institutions, local authorities offered an intensive physiotherapy program lasting up to 10 days. Acupuncture, massage, rehabilitative physiotherapy, and other traditional Chinese medicine treatments were in high demand, making wellness programs a new trend in cross-border tourism.
At the same time, business formats in the city's cultural tourism sector are constantly being enriched and diversified by events such as ice wine tastings, visits to state border gates, and tours of the robot kinematics center and the academy of calligraphy and painting. A comprehensive system of tourism services has been created, combining food, hospitality, travel, shopping, and entertainment.
Using sports as a bridge to deepen non-governmental exchanges between China and Russia, Dongning hosted a number of events, including the China-Russia-ROK eSports Carnival, a China-Russia Junior Basketball Tournament, and China-Russia Winter Swimming and Speed Skating Competitions. During the Lantern Festival (the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar), which fell on March 3 this year, Chinese and Russian tourists gathered in Dongning to enjoy folk performances and jointly perform the Chinese dance "Yangge."
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