Source: In the World
At noon on April 15, 2025, in Heihe, a border city between China and Russia, at the Huafu Mall located in the city center—the shopping mall most favored by Russians in Heihe—Yulia, a resident of Sakhalin Oblast, opened her mouth to show me her newly "installed" set of perfectly white teeth. A few hours earlier, she had completed a "3D zirconia all-ceramic dental restoration surgery" at a private hospital in Heihe.
"My original teeth were really scary," Yulia showed me the preoperative tooth photos in her mobile phone. "My teeth were bad due to calcium deficiency; I had many cavities and got them filled several times."
This cross-border medical journey made Yulia say, "The happiest thing I gained is my beautiful teeth. I want to go to work looking good."
In border cities like Heihe and Suifenhe, medical tourism focusing on dentistry and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is "attracting" a large number of Russians. Among them, "TCM fans" love massage, acupuncture, cupping, and also take Chinese herbal prescriptions; dental patients come from all over Russia, such as Irkutsk in Siberia, and even further away from Moscow and Novgorod, where the land distances to Heihe are 7,430 and 7,500 kilometers respectively. Even driving nonstop for 24 hours, it would take four and a half days to get there.
This drive spanning thousands of miles may be related to the consumption downgrade among Russians. Since the Russia-Ukraine war, the ruble has depreciated significantly. Although Russia's GDP increased by 4.1% in 2024, according to reports, the main driver of Russia's economy in recent years has been "defense spending." High inflation rates persist domestically in Russia, with the International Monetary Fund predicting an inflation rate of 9.3% in 2025. By contrast, TCM health care in China costs half as much as in Russia, while dental procedures cost only about one-third of what they do in Russia, saving several ten thousand yuan in one visit. For today's Russians, this amount is not insignificant.
On the other hand, Sino-Russian relations have deepened continuously, reaching "the highest level in history." Visa applications have been simplified, flight networks expanded, and flight numbers increased. Currently, there are at least 170 flights per week between China and Russia, with 2.78 million Russian travelers to China in 2024, nearly 830,000 of whom were carried by Russian airlines, triple the number in 2023.
All of this makes the medical journey to China increasingly convenient for Russians. In Heihe, opposite Bratsk, the third largest city in Russia's Far East and the capital of Amur Oblast, cross-border medical tourism continues to heat up.
The closest distance between Heihe and Bratsk is only 700 meters. In mid-April, the Heilongjiang River, which forms the border between China and Russia, was still frozen. Gazing across the river, the buildings in Bratsk were clearly visible, with not many high-rise buildings.
◎ Looking across the river from Heihe to Bratsk
The street signs in Heihe are bilingual in Chinese and Russian. The streets here are broad but sparsely populated, presenting a typical "vast but sparsely populated" scene. A local taxi driver told me that Heihe faces the common dilemma of Northeastern cities: population outflow. "Young people all leave."
The official website of Heihe Municipal Government only updates its population data to 2023. It shows that at the end of 2023, the city's registered population was 1.23 million. Also in 2023, media reported that over the past 12 years, Heihe's population had decreased by more than 400,000.
◎ Street view of Heihe
Russians supplement new blood into Heihe—In September 2023, Heihe resumed group tourist visa exemptions with Russia that had been interrupted due to the pandemic. In 2024, the number of people entering and exiting through Heihe port exceeded 440,000. In Heihe, Russian tourists on group tours or individual trips shop, dine, bathe, receive massages and acupuncture, and see dentists. According to statistics compiled by the Hua Jing Industry Research Institute, in 2024, Heihe's tertiary industry grew by 26.48%. "Medical services for Russians can be considered an industry in Heihe," said a local tour guide.
The huge price difference is an important reason why Heihe attracts them. In Heihe, Yulia's all-ceramic dental restoration surgery cost a total of 280,000 rubles (approximately RMB 25,000). "In Sakhalin, it would cost 800,000 rubles (approximately RMB 70,000)," Yulia said. Compared to the price difference, airfare and accommodation in China become minor expenses. Moreover, domestic airfares in Russia are not expensive; round-trip tickets from Sakhalin to Bratsk cost only about RMB 1,000.
Yulia, 48, is a kindergarten teacher. She came to Heihe from Bratsk on April 12th following strong recommendations from friends, and three days later, on April 15th, her teeth were completely renewed. Such "Chinese speed" left her amazed.
◎ Yulia showing her new teeth to the author
"It takes two months for the same treatment in a public hospital in Russia," she said. "Getting dental work done in Heihe is very popular among Russians." At this dental clinic, she encountered fellow countrymen from various cities in Sakhalin Oblast, some from South Sakhalin, others from Gor'ny Zavod. There was also a patient from Surgut in Tyumen Oblast.
In the memory of Bai Hua, a professional in the medical field, Russians have been coming to Heihe for dental treatments since more than a decade ago. Currently, besides the public Heihe City Dental Hospital, there are more than a dozen private dental clinics in Heihe that cater to Russian guests. Additionally, Wudalianchi, an administratively affiliated county-level city under Heihe, also has similar clinics.
"Heihe's dental healthcare has built up a reputation over more than a decade of experience and accumulation," Bai Hua said. The biggest advantage is "fast service, low prices, and good service attitude." This was confirmed by Lena, an employee of an Irkutsk hospital in Russia. In 2024, at the age of 59, she underwent a dental bridge restoration surgery in Wudalianchi. "In Russia, it would cost 500,000 rubles (approximately RMB 44,000), while in China, it was 150,000 rubles (approximately RMB 13,000), and the technology here is excellent," she told me.
She mentioned that after dental surgery in Wudalianchi, there is a "after-sales" warranty for 5 to 10 years—any problems can be fixed for free. "In Russia, the after-sales service period is only 1 year."
"Treating patients like gods, this way, more and more customers come, just like rolling snowballs. Look at Manzhouli, which is also a border crossing city, and Suifenhe is another border crossing city, but neither of them does as well as Heihe," Bai Hua said. Of course, there is another reason: private dental clinics in Heihe focus on social media platforms, setting up accounts on major Russian social media platforms like VKontakte to post Russian language videos to attract customers.
Bai Hua said that potential Russian customers will send private messages to hospitals via the backend, sending their own dental X-rays. Subsequently, the hospital will provide one-on-one consultations and issue treatment plans and quotes. After customer approval, both parties will agree on a time for the customer to come to Heihe for treatment, with visa, accommodation, and food expenses borne by the customer.
Xu Xiao, another informed source, mentioned that there are people who help Heihe's dental clinics acquire customers in Russia, receiving a commission in return. This has even "formed an industry."
The public Heihe City Dental Hospital has a bilingual sign, and the exterior walls also feature bilingual dental knowledge bulletin boards. On the day I visited the hospital, I saw a middle-aged Russian woman lying on a bed receiving treatment in the lobby (the electronic screen displayed the patient's name as Lena). Both the registration and payment windows have Russian language labels, and the patient's treatment process, hospital department locations, and fee standards are all bilingual.
Another private dental hospital is even more bustling, with bilingual posters for "3D ultra-thin porcelain veneers that say goodbye to yellow and black ugly teeth" plastered on the walls. Six out of six examination rooms are full, all occupied by Russian patients. Eight Russians are waiting in the lobby, one holding an X-ray, and everyone wears blue plastic shoe covers on their feet.
◎ A corner of the lobby, where six Russians are sitting
The dental service industry chain also extends to the surrounding areas. Near the most prosperous Central Commercial Pedestrian Street in Heihe City, a pharmacy staff member said that many Russians come to the store to buy postoperative antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs for dental treatments, such as cephalexin and metronidazole.
Some customers come with translators, while others come alone and use translation software to communicate. If customers cannot read Chinese instructions, he will explain how many pills to take and when to take them using translation software.
At the well-known Russian restaurant Amur in Heihe, the owner said that postoperative Russians often come to eat. They usually don't order Russian food but try Chinese cuisine. Some customers will specifically point to their teeth, meaning they've just had surgery and need soft food.
"Russians all like traditional Chinese medicine," Liu Shujie said. Two months ago, she also put up Russian language advertisements at the entrance of her TCM clinic (there are bilingual signs for Chinese and Russian at many small TCM clinics in Heihe). More than twenty years ago, she worked in Sino-Russian tourism and had many Russian friends, often taking them to seek medical treatment in China. "Some have cerebral palsy, and the results of Chinese acupuncture treatment are really good." In 2024, she joined a nationwide chain TCM clinic, preparing to make her branch the first to serve foreigners in the chain.
"In our generation, Chinese people tended to earn money and didn't pay much attention to rest, but Russians have always gone on family vacations during the summer break, and it hasn't changed now," Liu Shujie said. Many Russians head straight to Wudalianchi for recuperation, usually traveling in groups organized by Russia, hosted by Heihe, and then transported to the Wudalianchi scenic area more than 200 kilometers away by bus.
Now there are international buses running between Bratsk and Heihe at the Heihe Passenger Station, and there are two daily buses from Heihe to Wudalianchi. A Russian traveler can fully reach the scenic area by public transportation.
◎ International bus waiting area at Heihe Passenger Station
In mid-April, Wudalianchi resembles a康养 town in the off-season—a minimum temperature of still below zero, scattered snow on the roadside, trees not yet turning green, and few Chinese tourists. Here, the main visitors are Russians. They mainly stay at the Wudalianchi Workers' Sanatorium and nearby Marriott Garden Hotel.
The Wudalianchi Workers' Sanatorium opened in 1979 and is a "national labor model recuperation reception base," with a massive scale including multiple accommodation buildings, a rehabilitation hospital, a wellness building, and a mineral spring bathhouse. The rehabilitation hospital is fully equipped with departments such as internal medicine, surgery, TCM, integrated TCM-Western medicine consultation rooms, color ultrasound room, electrocardiogram room, shock wave therapy room, cervical traction room, and Chinese herbal steam therapy room. "Acupuncture, massage, physical therapy, mud therapy, some small surgeries, tooth repair—we offer a complete set of services here, basically everything you need can be handled within the sanatorium," said Chen Lei, a staff member of the Workers' Sanatorium.
◎ Entrance to the rehabilitation hospital at the Wudalianchi Workers' Sanatorium
The rehabilitation hospital receives more than 15,000 Russian patients annually. Summer is the peak season. Wang Meimei, a staff member, said that during that time, about half of the guests at the sanatorium are Russians, and the other half are model workers. Because model worker groups and Russian groups are signed up in advance, temporary walk-in guests during the peak season might even be unable to find accommodations due to overbooking.
Being in the Wudalianchi Workers' Sanatorium sometimes gives you the illusion of being in the former Soviet Union—the architecture has a strong Soviet style, with three or four-story yellow buildings, one called Craftsman Building and the other called Model Worker Building. Red slogans are posted in front of the buildings: "Revere model workers, learn from model workers, care for model workers, strive to be a model worker."
Self-service lunch and dinner at the sanatorium cost 45 yuan per person, featuring Chinese dishes such as braised tofu, Kung Pao chicken, and fried croaker. Looking around the cafeteria, nine out of ten diners are Russians, mostly middle-aged and elderly, some using crutches, others walking with difficulty. "Their ages range from fifty to over seventy, and many are plagued by various illnesses," Wang Meimei said.
Chen Lei mentioned that in the 1990s, the sanatorium had connected with the Bratsk trade union system for reciprocal recuperation exchanges between employees of both countries, which later became self-funded visits, increasing its popularity. In his recollection, a Russian guest has already come 20 times.
With more Russian guests, the staff at the sanatorium have picked up some Russian-related phrases relevant to their professions, and the hospital also has a dedicated Russian translator. "Everyone here speaks Russian, and they're all very warm-hearted," Lena said. In October 2024, she came here for the first time with a group, staying for 10 days. Besides the cost of the dental bridge surgery, she spent approximately 4,200 RMB in total. Initially, she was afraid of acupuncture, finding it painful, but afterward, she found it comfortable. She also tried a characteristic moxibustion, "to drive away the cold from her body."
After becoming familiar with the routine, in April this year, she came again with two relatives. This time, they traveled independently, staying for 13 days. "Russian massages are more expensive, but they're half the price here in Wudalianchi," she said. A single massage or physical therapy session costs 50 RMB here.
The sanatorium has developed a mature Russian guest reception system: upon arrival, they are handed a special paper record book for Russian patients. Doctors will inquire about their medical history, conduct physical examinations, and negotiate the required checks and treatments. Patients purchase relevant treatment tickets based on doctor recommendations, and treatment records are logged in the record book.
◎ Introduction to cervical traction in the Russian patient-specific medical record at the rehabilitation hospital
"Chinese model workers stay for a short time and don't undergo massage and physical therapy every day; some do it once and stop. Russians, however, come and buy a whole course of treatments, buying nine days for nine days, ten days for ten days, once a day," Wang Meimei said.
I encountered three Russian women in a six-bed ward on the first floor of the wellness building. One was undergoing physical therapy, and the other two were having fire cupping. Outside, a Russian man was lying face down receiving infrared polarized light treatment.
There is also a mineral spring therapy hall in the wellness building, offering a 158-yuan all-inclusive package including swimming, hot springs, cold springs, sauna, salt baths, volcanic ash magnetic therapy, etc. The cold springs in Wudalianchi are famous among Russians, rumored to treat skin diseases. Cold spring bathing is quite uncomfortable, with water temperatures as low as six or seven degrees Celsius. When the cold springs open in late spring, Russians with faith in their healing properties endure the cold water.
Several people in Heihe told me that Russian patients are straightforward and guileless in character.
"There are no medical disputes in China like there are here. Once you explain your treatment to them, if they recognize you, they will trust you completely, without the suspicion we often see in Chinese people," Liu Shujie said.
"They are different from Chinese people. Chinese people tend to save money even after earning some, which feels quite oppressive and tiring. Russians spend their money right away, living paycheck to paycheck, feeling very happy about it. Especially when they come to Heihe, they are here to enjoy themselves, lying back and letting you massage them, feeling extremely happy," said Chi Dongyue, owner of an acupuncture and moxibustion shop in Heihe. Russians even bring their 8-year-old children for massage, "they consider massage a very enjoyable experience and want to give it to their children."
Russian people's "frugal happiness" leaves Chi Dongyue envious. She is in her thirties, originally from a rural area in Heihe, with her mother still living there. Her mother told her that many people who went out to look for work this year have returned. "It used to be easy to find work outside, but now it's hard," she said. This anxiety also affects her. Her current monthly rent is over 20,000 RMB, and she is currently maintaining a "barely getting by" situation.
Huo Hong's rehabilitation and physiotherapy room sees hundreds of Russians each year. He is also from a rural area in Heihe. In his twenties, he ventured out to work, returning to Heihe at the age of 38 to open a small physiotherapy room. His physiotherapy room opened in 2014, the same year when Russia's per capita GDP reached its peak in the last 10 years—close to $16,000 USD. That number has yet to be surpassed. Now, the Russians visiting him are mostly middle-aged and elderly; there are fewer young people.
"Most are ordinary people. Some come for tourism, others for business," Huo Hong said. The middle-aged and elderly Russians visiting for treatment are generally large in stature: many women weigh 150 to 160 pounds, while men often weigh 180 to 200 pounds. However, they do not seem to care about losing weight, "as if they think being overweight is normal."
"Our Chinese teeth are stronger than Russian teeth," a boss of a private dental clinic in the Wudalianchi scenic area told me. He believes one of the reasons is that the cold weather in Russia results in less sunlight, making it easier to lack vitamin D.
In the streets of Heihe, Russians can be seen carrying Chinese beer and drinking it "like water," Huo Hong said. Men drink this way, and so do women. "Chinese women go home after drinking too much, but they go anywhere, even to massage shops," Huo Hong added. Sometimes, after the massage, they are still in a daze, not knowing north from south. "But they are very polite," Huo Hong recalled an incident where a drunk Russian female guest accidentally knocked over a flowerpot in his shop and insisted on compensating for it.
Drinking icy beer in cold weather led Huo Hong to conclude that Russians "don't know what health preservation is." He also judged that Russians generally have "excess dampness," neglecting warmth. "They eat fewer vegetables, making them prone to dampness, getting heaty, and having poor spleen function," he said.
Many Russians are ticklish and fear pain, and they don't like massage pressure. "I'd rather massage ten Russians than one Chinese, because massaging ten Russians doesn't tire me out," Huo Hong said. He likes to show some "special tricks" to curious Russians, such as pressing until they hear "cracking" sounds from their bones, which makes them give a thumbs-up, feeling the magical power of Eastern techniques.
Language differences remain a communication issue. Early Russian tourists used Google Translate to communicate with Chinese people. In 2022, when the Russia-Ukraine war broke out, Google announced the bankruptcy of its Russian subsidiary. Huo Hong noticed that in recent years, Russians no longer use Google. He spends 12 yuan per month on a membership for a domestic translation app to communicate with Russian guests, but the effect is not as good as Google's—"often miscommunication occurs."
As for deeper knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine, it becomes even harder to explain. Chen Lei is troubled by the fact that many TCM concepts lack corresponding words in Russian, "it's hard to translate terms like yin and yang, the five elements and their interactions." Chi Dongyue knows some Russian, but she doesn't know how to explain to Russian guests what "cold-dampness" is. Whenever a Russian guest asks her, "Why am I in pain here?" she can only say, "It's due to fatigue and coldness"—"Cold, they understand." As for terms like "getting heaty" and "insufficient qi and blood," she finds them "impossible to explain" and gives up altogether.
◎ Human meridian acupoint chart posted inside Chi Dongyue's acupuncture and moxibustion shop
A staff member at a pharmacy near Heihe's central commercial street said that Russian customers come to the store to buy Chinese patent medicines. The most popular is Lianhua Qingwen. In addition, 999 Cold Relief Granules, antiviral granules, antiviral oral liquid, wind-cold cold granules, Shuanghuanglian, diclofenac sodium tablets for rheumatoid arthritis, and ibuprofen for headaches are also relatively popular.
"Traditional Chinese medicine focuses on overall recovery of the body, and the effects of treatment are not as immediate as we are accustomed to," a Russian website explained.
A government billboard in Heihe reads: Heihe and Bratsk are the only pair of cities on the China-Russia border that are the highest in specification, largest in scale, most comprehensive in function, most populous, and most active in economic and cultural exchanges, known as the "China-Russia Twin Cities." In 1987, Heihe was the first to reopen the中断for over twenty years of Sino-Soviet border trade with "watermelon-for-fertilizer" transactions. Customs data shows that in 2024, Sino-Russian bilateral trade hit a record of $245.9 billion, an increase of 68% year-on-year.
Traveling from Heihe to Bratsk is very convenient. A two-day tour to Bratsk offered by a travel agency in Heihe costs 1,050 yuan. The news that Bratsk residents take boats to Heihe morning market to "join in the fun" spread across China in 2024. Cross-border medical flows between Bratsk and Heihe are not one-way. "Bratsk has a well-developed ophthalmology department, and many years ago, people from Heihe went there for laser eye surgery," said a Heihe tour guide who lived in Bratsk for many years. His friend also went to Bratsk for surgery.
Today, there is a large Russian goods street in the urban area of Heihe, where many shops sell various Russian products, ranging from honey, chocolate, vodka, birch fungus to handicrafts, covering everything. However, a tour guide reminded that some of these handicrafts may come from Yiwu. Nevertheless, Heihe's advantage is gradually diminishing—the boss of a shop on the Russian goods street expressed concern, saying that the proliferation of Russian pavilions across China has caused significant impact on his business.
In history, the entanglements between Russia, Bratsk, and Heihe run deeper.
◎ In the bustling boardwalk market in Bratsk during the Republic era, merchants from Heihe had shops there
Back then, they opened their stores at 10 AM and returned to Heihe by boat at 4 PM
Image source: Historical Exhibition Hall of Heihe Chamber of Commerce
Heihe Airport is named Aihui Airport, located more than 40 kilometers away from the site of the Aihui New Town, which is where the Treaty of Aihui was signed in 1858. Under this treaty, the Qing government ceded large tracts of territory to Tsarist Russia. Bratsk also had a former Chinese name, Hai Lanpu. In 1900, the Hai Lanpu Massacre occurred here. One day in mid-April, I saw two Russian tourists walk past a government propaganda bulletin board near the Workers' Sanatorium in Wudalianchi. The bulletin introduced the history of the Wudalianchi Scenic Area, such as how it was "a garrison place to resist the Russians during the Qing Dynasty."
In the 1990s, when Liu Shujie frequently traveled between Heihe and Bratsk for tourism, she felt that Heihe's urban construction lagged behind Bratsk. She watched a short video produced by a Russian television station, showcasing images of Bratsk and Heihe from the past: Bratsk's buildings were tall