Jilin

Jilin lies in the heart of former Manchuria and borders North Korea and Russia. A vacation in Jilin means a volcanic crater lake in the Changbai Mountains, snowy ski slopes and the story of a puppet empire in the capital, Changchun.

Changchun and Its History

From 1932 to 1945, Changchun was the capital of Manchukuo, the state established by Japan, and was known as Hsinking. At the palace of the puppet emperor Puyi, the last emperor of China, you can see his living quarters and an exhibition on the occupation years; magnificent administrative buildings from that era still line the streets today. Changchun is also the center of China's auto industry and home to the historic Changchun Film Studio, whose film museum is well worth a visit. The World Sculpture Park displays hundreds of works by international artists. Changchun is also considered one of China's greenest cities, with large parks such as Jingyuetan Forest Park, where a cross-country ski race takes place in winter.

Sights in Jilin

Changbai Mountain on the border with North Korea is a dormant volcano whose crater holds Heaven Lake, a deep blue lake at an elevation of around 2,200 meters (7,200 feet). The Changbai Waterfall, hot springs, primeval forests of pine and birch, and the Siberian tigers that still occasionally turn up here make the reserve the natural highlight of the Northeast. In winter, the city of Jilin on the Songhua River is famous for its rime ice: because the river does not freeze below a dam, ice crystals coat the trees along the banks. The Beidahu and Songhua Lake ski areas are nearby. Near Ji'an stand tombs and ruins of the ancient Goguryeo kingdom, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Yanji, the main town of Yanbian, is a small world of its own, with bilingual signs, markets and Korean restaurants; buses to the north slope of Changbai Mountain depart from here.

Food, Getting There and the Best Time to Visit

The Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture is home to a large Korean minority, and you'll find cold noodles, bibimbap, grilled meat and kimchi on the menu. Other Jilin specialties include ginseng, forest mushrooms and braised dishes with sauerkraut. Changchun is connected by high-speed rail to Harbin, Shenyang and Beijing, and Changbai Mountain has its own airport. The best time for hiking is summer; for skiing and rime ice, winter is the season, though it is very cold.