Acheng District (Chinese: 阿城区; pinyin: Àchéng Qū; also spelled Ashihe, Ashehe, or, until 1909, Ashihho[1]; Manchu: Alchuka) is an administrative county-level district of Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China. The city, located at at an elevation of 140 m (462 ft) with a population of 234,057 (est. 1999), is 29 km southeast of the city of Harbin, 190 km north of Jilin, and around 50 km south of the Songhua River; it lies within the basin of the Ashi River (阿什河; Wade-Giles, A-shih River)[1]. Its administrative jurisdiction (shìqū or "urban area") covers an area of 2,680 km² and includes over eleven towns, five rural areas, 126 villages, and five subdistricts, with a total population of over 650,000.
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The city of Acheng has a long history. It is the site of the ruins of Huining, a prefecture in Shangjing which served as the first capital (1115–1153) of the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). There is currently a museum at the site, about 2 km south of the Acheng urban area.[2]
Acheng county was established in 1909. It was designated a county-level city in 1987.
The area is rich in mineral resources, seven types of which have been commercially developed, including sources of rock, volcanic rock, granite, molybdenum, zinc, lead, and copper.
The area is important in grain production, having produced 33,100 tons of grain in 2002; much of this grain is essential in feeding the important city of Harbin.
Acheng is a major industrial area for Heilongjiang, with over 300 types of enterprises, including textile, electromechanics, food, building materials (especially brickworks), metallurgy, breweries fueled by the local grain, sugar refineries, a flax plant, and the production of medicine. In 1996 a new technology industrial development zone was created on the western side of the city to encourage the development of high technology, export-oriented industry.
Tourism is also a growing part of the local economy. Acheng is located on the popular tourist route serving Harbin, the Yabuli ski resort, Lake Jingpo, and Xingkai Lake. A number of historic and nature reserves in the area also attract visitors.
The city of Acheng is a 50 km drive from the international airport at Harbin.
The Binsui (Harbin-Suifenhe) Railway (part of the original Chinese Eastern Railway) passes through the city. There are over twenty commuter rail lines in the rural area.
An expressway connects the city to Harbin and several other national highways run through the area.