or Hei-lung-chiang conventional Heilungkiang
Province (pop., 2000 est.: 36,890,000), northeastern China.
With an area of 179,000 sq mi (463,600 sq km), it is China's northernmost province; its capital is Harbin . It borders Russia (mostly along the Amur River ), Jilin province, and Inner Mongolia . It was part of an area formerly known as Manchuria . Little developed before the late 19th century, it was under Russian dominance until 1917, when it came under Chinese control. It was taken by Japan in 1931 but retaken in 1945 by Soviet forces, who returned it to Chinese (communist) control. After the 1960 Sino-Soviet rift, its border was the scene of frequent clashes. The area is now one of expanding industrialization.