Sungari

Sungari, also known as the Songhua River in Mandarin and sometimes transliterated as Sungari in older or foreign-language sources, is a major river in northeastern China. The river rises in the Changbai Mountains on the border of Jilin Province and flows generally northeast through Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces before joining the Amur River near the Russia-China border. Its course passes through several urban centers, including Jilin City and Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang.

The Sungari basin is a key agricultural and industrial region, and the river has long served as a transportation corridor for goods and people. The lower reaches support fisheries and irrigation, while the middle and upper sections have been the site of hydroelectric development and flood-control projects. The river’s seasonal flow is influenced by the region’s monsoon climate, with ice cover common in winter.

In 2005 a major environmental incident occurred when benzene and other chemicals from the Jilin Chemical Plant spilled into the Songhua, prompting water-supply disruptions in Harbin and drawing international attention to river safety and emergency response in China.

Environmental and water-management efforts in the Sungari basin address pollution, sedimentation, and ecosystem health, alongside ongoing use of the river for agriculture, industry, and urban water supply. The Sungari remains a symbol of regional hydrology and a key component of the broader Amur river system.