I lived in a place called Qiqiha’er in Heilongjiang province. It was a great place to see what Chinese life is really like, but as a tourist, I dont think it would offer too much. Also, it is a place where English is not spoken by many people, so without a basic knowledge of Chinese (or maybe Russian), it is pretty hard to get around. However Ha’erbin in Heilongjiang province is a great city worth visiting, with many festivals, especially the ice sculpture festival in winter.