And on the shelves of the bookstore, which is named after a famous Russian writer, there is a wealth of Russian-language books on literature and art.

"In Harbin, there are many Russian people and lots of the local citizens have deep feelings for Russian culture," said Qu Bolong, president of the Xinhua bookstore group.

"We hope the bookstore offers a broad platform for the exchange of Sino-Russian culture."

According to Yu Xiaobei, deputy general manager of Heilongjiang Publishing Group, there are 83 Xinhua Bookstores in Heilongjiang. "In the future, we will transform them according to their own characteristics to achieve development during the digital revolution," Yu said.

Heihe, a town that sits on the China-Russia border in Heilongjiang, has seen a steady rise in the number of Russian tourists during the past 10 years.

In March 2015, Heihe Xinhua Bookstore was renamed Pushkin Bookstore after an upgrade and realignment.

A statue of Russian writer and poet Aleksandr Pushkin in front attracts many Russian tourists.