Zhenbao

Zhenbao (珍宝, meaning "precious treasure"), commonly known in Russian as Damansky Island, is a river island on the Ussuri River along the border between China and Russia. The island lies in the lower Ussuri, opposite the border area that separates Heilongjiang Province in northeast China from Primorsky Krai in Russia. It covers a small area, and the surrounding river forms its boundaries.

Geography and access: It is largely forested and, like much of the border zone, is not heavily developed.

History: The island is best known for the Zhenbao Island incident in March 1969, during the Sino-Soviet border conflict. Chinese and Soviet forces clashed on the island and along the frontier, highlighting the deteriorating relationship between the two countries. The incident is referenced in Chinese and Russian sources under different names (Zhenbao Island incident / Damansky incident). In the following years, border delimitation negotiations between China and the Soviet Union, and later the Russian Federation, addressed river boundaries along the Amur-Ussuri system, with the general process culminating in agreements that settled the frontier along the Amur and its tributaries.

Current status: Today the island remains a geographic feature along the border; it is still associated with the historical memory of the Sino-Soviet split, and its sovereignty is treated within the broader context of border treaties between the two states.