Objective:To explore the dietary patterns and changes in population of northeastern Chinese over time. Design:A longitudinal, descriptive, comparative, population-based study. Setting:Heilongjiang, China. Study participants:1468 and 1418 participants aged 0-95 who had complete records on the three 24-hour dietary recalls in 1997 and 2000 surveys, respectively. Results:Differences in food consumption and nutrient intake existed in groups divided by gender, residence and household income. The staple food was cereals which offered 53. 4–70. 1% of the total energy in diet of any populations, and the next was fat and protein with 19. 2–34. 3% and 10. 4–12. 0%, respectively. Fat and protein devoted more proportion of energy than carbohydrate did in diet of the participants in developed and urban areas, and with higher income. Conclusion:Certain increases in energy from protein, alongside a significant rise in energy from fat and a visible decline in energy from carbohydrate, were documented as main features in dietary patterns of Northeastern Chinese during the study period.