China

The Xingkai Lake Nature Reserve is situated in the Xingkai Lake basin and the bulging southern section of the Fengmi Hill-Yangmu. On its west side is the Mount Laoye of the Changbai Mountain Ranges and on its east side is the Sikhote-Alin Range in Russia. Its topography is high in northwest and low in east with latitudes ranging from 574 meters to 68 meters. Most of its terrain units are Muling-Xingkai alluvial plain, low lacustrine plain and small areas of low hilly land as results of structural erosion of Fengmi Hill.

The local communities within the reserve mainly include the Xingkaihu Farm, Xingkaihu Aquaculture Company and Baipaozi Township. There is a total population of 32,000, comprising Han, Hui, Korean and Manchu people with Han people accounting for 95% of the population. The Xingkaihu Farm covers an area of 139,000 hm2 and has a population of 12,000. It has under its jurisdiction 26 crop and livestock farming teams and 11 industrial, transportation and commercial enterprises. Its agricultural and industrial output value totals some 130 million yuan and annual rice production stands at 800,000 tons. The “Xingkaihu” brand rice has been labeled as one of China’s green products. The farm’s annual production of aquatic products reaches 200 tons. The farm’s paper mill exports six products to 21 countries and regions including Japan and Canada.

Baipaozi Township, located in the middle of the reserve, covers an area of 316 km2, including 176 km2 of lake water area, 1.02 hm of cultivatable land, and 3,867 km of forested land. Of its population of 17,500, the majority are Han people while the ethnic minorities including the Manchus and Koreans make up only 2%.