A cool summer hot spot

Another retraces the route of the historical Chinese Eastern Railway, which was completed in the early 1900s, from Manzhouli on the Hulunbuir grasslands to Suifenhe city on the border with Russia.

The third follows 33 Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) defense outposts that includes the route between the Greater Hinggan Mountains and Mohe.

These routes were promoted at summer-tourism events the commission staged in such major Chinese cities as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou recently.

The commission also released a short online film, Forest Summer, about four groups who travel through Heilongjiang during the season.

"We work to tell Heilongjiang's story in the best way. The answer turns out to be visitors' own experiences," the commission's deputy director, Hou Wei, says at the Beijing event. "Their assessments (of Heilongjiang) and memories are important. The video will inspire people to visit."