Jilin province is called Ji for short. It lies in the middle part of the northeastern China. It covers an area of 18 million square kilometers and has a population of 2.47 million.
In Jilin province, the southeastern part is higher than the northwestern part, there are mountainous regions, hills and plains.
The plains cover 40 percent of the total area, the mountainous regions and hills cover more than 60 percent. The rivers belong to the following river systems, they are the Songhua River, Liao River, Yalu River and so on. But the Songhua River is the most important one. Jilin is the semi-dry and moist monsoon climate in Temperate Zone. It has abundant forest reserves, fertile land and vast grasslands. Mainly, the mineral resources are coal, iron, copper and gold.
In industry, there is machinery, petrochemical industry, food, metallurgy and medicine, etc. Among them, the output of automobile, passenger train, ferroalloy, machine-made paper, timber, cardboard and tractor are in the first places in China. In agriculture, Jilin is rich in maize, soybean, rice, sorghum and oilseed, the yield of beet is at the forefront in China, and the output of ginseng is about 80 percent.
In Jilin, the railway and the highway are very convenient, and the railway is the main means of traffic. The Second-Songhua River is chief water transport. And the city of Changchun is the center of aviation.
Changbai Mountain, Jilin Songhua Lake and some relics are well-known scenic spots and historical sites. The traditional specialties are pilose antler, ginseng, marten, which are called "three kinds of treasures" in the northeast, and Changchun ginseng cigarette, Jilin Sanbao wine, Tonghua wine, etc.
Recommended Scenic Spots
Mt. Changbaishan in Jili
Changbaishan means eternally white mountains and is located in the southeast of Jilin near the Korean border. It is Chinas largest nature reserve and is home to the rare Manchurian tiger, snow leopards and wild ginseng.
The most famous scenic area in Changbaishan is Baitoushan (White Head Mountain) and Tianchi (Lake of Heaven), a 2 million year old volcanic crate lake at the mountain summit. Tianchi has a circumference of 13km (8 miles) and has an average depth of 204 meters (670ft). Surrounded by beautiful mountains, hot springs and waterfalls this area is considered sacred by both Koreans and Manchus.
Puppet Emperors Palace
During the Japanese occupation of Manchuria (1931-1945), the last emperor of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) Puyi was installed as the "puppet" ruler of the renamed state of Manchukuo. The Puppet Emperors Palace was built by the Japanese especially for Puyi to inhabit.
The palace covers an area of 43,000 sq meters and comprises imperial style buildings, courtyards and gardens. Parts have been restored and are used as a permanent exhibition with displays relating to the Japanese occupation.