The Daqing Oil Field is located in which Chinese province?

The Daqing Oil Field is located in Heilongjiang province, in northeastern China.

The field lies between the Songhua and Nen rivers in the Songliao Basin. China discovered it in 1959, and its first oil well was drilled on September 26 of that year. The name Daqing means “great celebration,” reflecting the discovery’s timing just before the tenth anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.

Daqing became central to China’s industrial development, especially after the Soviet Union reduced oil supplies during the Sino-Soviet split. From 1964 to 1980, it supplied more than half of China’s annual crude oil production. The government also promoted its workers, including “Iron Man” Wang Jinxi, as models of socialist dedication.

A common mix-up is confusing Heilongjiang province with Manchuria, the broader historical region in which the field sits. Daqing is also the name of the nearby city, while the oil field itself is operated by Daqing Oilfield Company Limited. Its mature production has declined from its 2008 peak, although it remains historically significant.