Before dinnertime, we arrived at the rural inn we had booked from Beijing. “Riverside Family,” as the inn was called, was picturesquely situated by the riverbank. I highly recommend it.

After a short rest to allow me to recover, we couldn’t wait to head out and explore the northernmost village in China. It’s not big, and a tour took no time at all.

Beiji seemed to be built up on wide stretches of lush green pasture. Its architecture reminded one of the log cabin villages of many a fairy tale. The walls of the buildings are built from pine logs, which are then coated in mud. This style of construction is pervasive in the timber-rich border regions of China and Russia.

Every household we saw had a yard in which to grow vegetables and sunflowers. The low wooden fences separating households seemed purely decorative; neighbors chat to each other through them, and front gates are always open for visitors. It was a breath of fresh air – literally – after Beijing.

The “Arctic Village” really gave us an idyllic picture of country life. Locals told us that if someone happens to lose something, nobody will pick it up, and the item will lie waiting until its owner finds it.

As dinnertime approached, smoke billowed up from kitchen chimneys, adding a final, rustic touch to the fairy-tale scene.

A sign that read “Arctic Square” alerted us to the fact that we had reached the center of the village. We spotted there a stone tablet, which read “The Arctic of the Divine Land.” I suppose it’s not technically accurate – the artic circle is another 1,500 kilometers to the North – but nonetheless we felt we had achieved something by getting there. The “Arctic” appellation is certainly the town’s big tourism draw card; shops, the post office and inns all claim to be “northernmost” in China.

We headed down to the Heilongjiang River. Russia is literally on the other side. During our stay, I would wander along the river whenever I got the chance. It is beautiful, deep and tranquil, and reflected the clouds, sky and sunshine in technicolor detail. It’s icy cold even in the months when it’s not frozen over – a quick splash of water to the face, and I felt refreshed.

Tibet, I’d thought previously, is the place in China “closest to heaven,” as we say. Tibet may be higher in altitude, but the “Arctic Village” is higher in latitude. Could this be China’s most tranquil spot outside the monasteries on the “Roof of the World?”