Changchun is the capital city of Jilin Province and one of the 15 sub-provincial cities assigned by the State Council. The total area covers 20,604 square kilometers with a metropolitan area of 4,789 square kilometers which includes six administrative districts, three cities, and one town. The total population is 7.67 million of which 3.5 million live in the metropolitan area.
Changchun has become a multi-functional and modern city with numerous reputations such as “The Automotive Capital”, “The Hollywood of China”, “The City of Organic Food”, “The City of Forests”, “The City of Science and Education”, and “The City of Sculptures”. Changchun has won countless awards such as the “2011 Top Ten Low Carbon City”, the “2012 National Cultural City Award”. It is also the first to receive the “National Innovative City” award and voted the “City with Most Happiness” and “City Provides Happiness for its Citizens” by the national media and press.
Vivacious Spring City
The “Integration of the cities of Changchun and Jilin” provided opportunities for the urban structure and the industry distribution of Changchun, and created a solid foundation for better and faster development of the backbone industries and the economy. Scientific development planning, solid development foundation, and the advanced distribution helped Changchun became one of the innovative cities that is capable of development. In 2012, Changchun was among the first group of cities to receive the “National Innovative City” awarded by the State Council.
1 The Famous Automotive Capital
The First Automobile Works of China (FAW)
The FAW Group is a historic milestone in the history of development of China's automotive industry as its pioneer and leader. Over the years, the FAW has been emphasizing on the development of the auto part industry in expansion, industrialization, and collection under the enterprise development guidelines of the “Independent Innovation; Open Cooperation”. The FAW had completed the transformation from a single product factory to a global enterprise with a multi-brand, multi-series, and multi-dimension product lines that ranges from small, mid-sized and heavy trucks to passenger cars, mini-sized vans, buses, and military vehicles as well as the leading automotive enterprise with a diverse capital structure that operates in both international and domestic markets.
Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd. (CRV)
China Northern Railway Group's Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd. is formerly known as the Changchun Bus Factory. It was founded in 1954 and was listed on the stock market with the China Northern Railway Group.
Since its foundation, the CRV has produced a total of over 30 thousand railway passenger vehicles (including high speed trains) which is 44% of the total operational vehicles on the railway. Its product lines cover every railway bureau in China; its total production (including its joint venture, Bombardier) of city railway express vehicles reached over 6,000 which accounts for more than 50% of those that are operational in China. Thirteen of the 17 cities (including Hong Kong) use CRV products.
Changchun is the cradle of China’s photoelectric technology. In 1951, the famous scholar, Wang Daheng came to Changchun to establish the Changchun Optical Precision Machinery and Physics Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Science, and engaged in basic, applied, engineering and high-tech industrialization research work. Led by fellow researchers, Wang Daheng and Xu Xurong together with a group of scientists have made over 1,700 achievements in scientific research, developed over ten “First in China” technological advancements including China’s first ruby laser and the first large-scaled theodolite, trained more than 2,200 talents, and contributed to the national science and technology development, economic development, and national defense development. The institute is known as the “the Cradle of China’s Optics” and has created the foundation for the formation and development of Changchun’s photoelectric industry.
Relying on its solid foundation, strong innovative ability, and a complete R&D team, Changchun is emphasizing on the development of the photoelectric industry. So far, Changchun has completed projects such as “The Changchun Photoelectric Industry Base of the National Torch Project”, “The Software Industry Base of the National Torch Project”, “The National High-Tech Export Base”, and the “Chinese Overseas Student Entrepreneurship Base”. As the officially certified “National Photoelectric Industry Base”, Changchun is moving forward to a market-oriented and demand-oriented photoelectric R&D base.
3 The City of Academic Culture
Changchun is also known as the “City of Science and Education” because of its leadership role in the area of “National Development though Science and Education”. A number of well-known colleges in Changchun such as the Jilin University, the Northeast Normal University, the Aviation University of the Air Force, the Changchun University of Science and Technology, the Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun University of Technology, Changchun University, Jilin Animation Institute, and Changchun Vocational Institute of Technology have earned the city the name “City of Universities”.
Changchun is also a place with many R&D institutions and researchers. It is a city with a high concentration of intellectuals, and also known as the “Boston in the East”. Today, Changchun has 96 R&D and technology development institutions, 12 national key laboratories, 48 post-doctoral research stations, 13 post-doctoral business work stations, 31 qualification audit unit laboratories, 50 Class-A doctoral certification units, four national business technological centers, 33 provincial business technological centers, and 75 municipal business technological centers as well as 26 fellow researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and 339 thousand technical talents
4 The Culture Industry
The city of Changchun, as it relies on the strong academic and research field, is focusing on the development of the cultural industry and strengthening the importance that culture plays in the economic development and industrial upgrading to create a strategic backbone and an advantageous industry. There are over 17 thousand businesses and over 200 thousand employees in the cultural industry which has formed an all-around market structure that is rational, equally competitive and positively developing.
Under the policy of focusing on the development of the cultural industry, the six traditional cultural industries of movie, press, printing, media, entertainment, and folk art and the four new cultural industries of cultural tourism, cultural exhibition, education and training, and sport and athletics are showing infinite potentials. Today, the three creative cultural industries of creative design, digital content, and animation and gaming have formed several specialized areas, of which the Jilin Creative Industry of Animation, Comics and Games has been certified as the “National Key Pilot Base of Cultural Industry”. The Northeast Asian Cultural Creative Technology Zone has been certified to be the “National Cultural Industry Experimental Zone. The Jilin Lintian Yuanda Logo Group ranks top ten in national enterprise brand value and records an annual revenue of over RMB100 million.
A City for Livability and Quality of Life
The Province of Jilin is the only “Ecological Model Province” besides the Province of Hainan. Changchun, as the capital of Jilin takes the leadership role in the ecological development of the province. A temperate, semi-humid continental monsoon climate makes Changchun a beautiful scroll of sceneries that draw the eyes of millions. The locals are kindhearted and easy to get along with. Numerous stories of “positive energy” are evident. A genuine daily life with an optimistic attitude towards any eventualities can also be found in the city.
1 Urban Forests and Natural Sceneries
Changchun, also better known as the “National Garden City”, “National Model of Green City”, and “A City of Forests”, uses the color green in its name card to make the visualization of a perfect ecological environment that only exists in people’s imaginations. Everyone has the luxury of forests, gardens, and parks around where they live. This is not a mirage but something real that can be touched, giving anyone a feeling of an out-of-this-world dreamland.
In 2013, the CPC Changchun Committee and the Changchun Municipal People’s Government started to apply the strategy of moving into a Forest City which would construct the city with elements of forests, wetlands, water, and green space to create a city structure that is covered by trees, surrounded by natural landscape, and connected by healthy, beautiful, and harmonious surroundings. Together, they will change Changchun into a favorable green forest city with blue skies, green lands, clear waters, and its own unique northern characteristics to achieve the goal of developing “A City of Happiness” at full speed and being the first to complete the transition into a “Well-Off Society” and create a top standard and leading green environment to let the citizens enjoy the benefits of living in nature right here in Changchun.
2 The Mingling of Ice and Snow and the Crossing of Spring and Autumn
Changchun is geographically located at 125°18′ longitude and 43°55′ latitude. The unique climate in the region gives Changchun distinct characteristics in each of the four seasons. At the end of April, Changchun comes to a season of bird singing, green grass growing, and the fragrance of different flowers. In summer time when the people in the south try to survive the heat, Changchun comes to the best time of the year with the color of fresh green and the flowers allowing the city to become passionate. The annual Summer Relaxation Festival attracts visitors to get away from the hot summer.
The winter in Changchun is just cold enough to have powdery snow and just long enough to let people enjoy miles of icy and snowy sceneries. It also lets people enjoy the winter activities such as skiing, snow ball fighting, or just chilling outdoors. These have become the signature for the winter tourism. So far, Changchun has held 16 successful China Changchun Ice and Snow Tourism Festivals. Recently, Changchun has become a part of the Vasaloppet International Skiing series by hosting the Jingyuetan Vasaloppet International Cross-Country Skiing, a global event that attracts more and more visitors and athletes from around the world. After the success of holding the “9th National Winter Games” in 1999, Changchun recorded another glory in the history by hosting “The 6th Asian Winter Games” in 2007. It has demonstrated its organizing ability and versatility to host large, multi-competition sporting events. Star athletes like Wang Hao and Zhou Yang have consecutively won gold metals in Beijing and London Olympic Games as well as in Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. They have earned their hometown the honor of having both summer and winter Olympic gold metals.
The beautiful natural sceneries have raised the environmental awareness of the citizens. Currently, Changchun is the holder of numerous awards such as the “The Model of Chinese Living Environment”, “The National Garden City”, the “The Model City of Environmental Protection”, and the “National Clean City”
3 Delicious Cuisines and Joyful Life
For those who come to Changchun, it is a must to try the local cuisines. Eating in Changchun is just as wonderful as anywhere else in China.
Jilin Cuisine
When referring to northeastern Chinese cuisines, it often comes to the Manchu Han Imperial Feast, but Jilin Cuisine has been one of the important northeastern cuisines in recent years. It was developed by hotels and restaurants in the province, featured with ingredients from local meats and vegetables. Today, the Jilin cuisine consists of 3,150 different items, 91 famous banquets, 183 famous dishes, and 67 small delicacies. Together, they have formed new sets of menu with national, folk, imperial, and mountain-side dishes. Renowned traditional dishes such sauerkraut, stir-fried pork with sour cabbage, and thin starch noodles and other delicious new cuisines are not only loved by the locals but also enjoyed by guests from home and abroad.
Korean Cuisine
Korean Cuisine is also known as South Korean Food or South Korean Cooking. Most of the Korean Chinese population lives in the three northeastern provinces, especially in the Yanbian Prefecture of Jilin Province. As one of the economic and cultural centers of the Northeast Asian region, many Koreans work and live in Changchun, the Korean restaurants can be found virtually everywhere in the city.
A City of Happiness
The city of Changchun presented an overall goal of developing “A City of Happiness” during the 12th Party’s Congress. A City of Happiness shall be a city where every individual has a place to live, where everybody is satisfied with their careers and has a happy and joyful family, and most of all, where it shall be a city filled with harmony. With the foundation of a strong economy and the support of a stable society, A City of Happiness builds on the ecological environment and the harmonious atmosphere; Cultural-wise, it has its distinction; spiritual-wise, it looks to the idea of openness and advancement. The local residents are the decision-makers for the city where they will have to create a better future for themselves and enjoy the process while doing it.
A Beautiful Changchun
Changchun has blue waters and skies, green trees and mountains; residents can feel the joy of society's blend of nature everywhere. Changchun is well-known as “A Forest City” in China with the largest artificial forest in Asia, the Jingyuetan Forest Park. The Changchun Northlake Wetland National Park is the largest urban ecological wetland park in Northeast China. As the oxygen bar and the lung of the city, it provides the city with clean air, and gives a refreshed feeling to the citizens.
The citizens of Changchun are living right in this ecological place called home. They are spending time in the four seasons with distinct characteristics. They are enjoying the gifts of nature, and experiencing the self-created happiness in daily life. Nature is eternal and creation will never stop. On Changchun’s 20,604 square kilometers of black soil, its 7.6 million citizens will continue to create more happiness for the realization of a City of Happiness.
