During the rule of the Ming dynasty in China, Yilan, formerly known as Sanxing (三姓; Wade–Giles: San-hsing; historically also Romanized as San Sing[4]), was one of the two important centers of the Jianzhou Jurchens of the Hurka River valley.the Sanxing fu dutong was in control of the northeastern section of Jilin Province (which in those days was much larger than now) – a large region stretching northeast along the Sungari and the Amur to the Pacific Ocean.[7] In 1887, three British travelers – H. E. M. James, Francis Younghusband and Harry English Fulford – visited Sanxing on their tour of Manchuria.[4] Lu Houmin, who was the official photographer for the top Chinese leaders particularly Mao Zedong from 1950 to 1964 was born in Yilan.[12] 2 Formally part of Oroqen Banner in Inner Mongolia but administered de facto by Daxing'anling Prefecture in Heilongjiang.
A German map from 1891 showing
San sing
at the fall of the
Hurka
River into the
Sungari