HeBei is the northern portion of the historic region of Manchuria,a province in the northeast of China on the north eastern border with Russia.The fertile valley of the SongHua River crosses it.HeiLongjiang is a sparsely populated region with a certain severe climate.Temperatures there in the region are breathtakingly cold in the severe winter, often dipping to -40C (-40F).So the conditions are ideal for ice sculptures, and especially Harbin,a center of heavy industry,a big machinery and tool manufacturer, as well as a producer of electrical and construction equipment,is the site of the Ice Lantern Festival, where elaborate sculptures of people, animals, and structures of all kinds are carved using ice.Area, 463,600 sq km; population, 36,890,000 (2000).Daqing oil field in the southwest, is the largest one in China. And coal is being mined in the east.In addition, wheat, sugar beets, and soybeans are the major crops.