Heilongjiang.png (Photo : www.newssc.ne)
The nearby border town Heihu is often called "China's window on Russia" or "the Eurasian gate" and at 50° latitude, it is extremely cold being one of the most famous places for its frigid temperatures in all of China.
Ofc. Li has been here for six months and so far, the coldest recorded temperature has been -47°C. As such, the ice on the river can get to be 5 m thick. In the early morning on Jan. 4, we fight the cold with Ofc. Li for a three hour watch between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. No day is an easy one up here in the frozen north.
This is where the famous "Good 8th Regiment" lives, struggling with the cold in order to fulfill the mission. Their motto is, "Don't fear the cold, it's your duty to love your country, closely guard the country's door." So they face each day with this unyielding motto. Over the last few years technology and the information age has leaked into the cold north. Audio video and Internet surveillance facilities have been established. No longer a far-flung outposts, Heihu has become a control center for watching the nearby border.
Since the surveillance technology has been in effect, it has already stopped 50 incidents involving 130 people trying to cross the border. The 8th Regiment has become a very effective tunneling mechanism for catching those who would like to circumvent the boundaries, even in the frigid cold.
