Charming Changchun

Changchun is situated at the heart of the Song Liao Plains in northeastern China and at the center of China's three northeastern provinces. The whole city covers a total area of 20604 square kilometers. It has a population of 8.68 million.

With four clear-cut seasons and favorable temperature in the mild temperate zone, it is called "Spring City of Northern China".

The city is a connecting point for major roads to all of the regional cities in North China, including to Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia, as well as reaching to South Korea, North Korea and Russia through the Huichun and Tumen River ports in the east and Mongolia through Baicheng in Jilin in the west. Due to its advantageous geographical location, Changchun has become the most important part of the huge economic chain that runs up through northeast China and is an important transportation, telecommunications and logistics center and hub for northeast China.

History

Changchun started as a minor trading town. In 1800, Emperor Jiaqing of the Qing Dynasty selected a small village on the east bank of the Yitong River and named it "Changchun Ting." In 1889, it was promoted as "Changchun Fu".

It expanded rapidly as the junction between of the Japanese-owned South Manchurian Railway and the Russian-owned Chinese Eastern Railway which had different rail gauges, as well as permit licences, from 1905-1935. Changchun had railway repair shops and branch lines originating in Changchun extended into Korea and Inner Mongolia In 1932 moving from Jilin City 200 km to the east, Changchun became the capital of Manchukuo, a state in Manchuria. Then known as Hsinking, the capital was a well-planned city with broad avenues and modern public works. The city underwent rapid expansion in both its economy and infrastructures.

From 1931 to 1945 China's last emperor Pu Yi was installed as the Manchukuo government head by the Japanese authority. He resided in the Imperial Palace which is now the Museum of the Manchu State Imperial Palace.

During the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) and World War II the Imperial Japanese Army implemented in Changchun the headquarters of Wakamatsu Unit, under command of veterinarian Yujiro Wakamatsu. This facility dedicated itself to both the study of animal vaccines to protect Japanese resources, and, especially, veterinary biological-warfare. Diseases were tested for use against the Soviet and Chinese horses and other livestock. In addition to these tests, Unit 100 ran a bacteria factory to produce the pathogens needed by other units. Biological sabotage testing was also handled at this facility: everything from poisons to chemical crop destruction.

Severely damaged during World War II, the city was liberated by the Soviet Red Army in 1945. The Russians maintained a presence in the city after the Chinese civil war until 1946. Kuomintang forces occupied the city in 1946, but were unable to hold the countryside against Chinese Communist forces. The city fell to the communists in 1948 after a 12-month-long siege by the People's Liberation Army that resulted in a massive famine with a civilian death toll of 100,000 to 300,000. Renamed Changchun by the People's Republic of China government, it became the capital of Jilin in 1954.

The Changchun Film Studio is also one of the remaining film factories of the era. From the 1950s, it was designated to become a center for China's automotive industry. The famous Red Flag limousines were made in Changchun as were the Liberation (Jiefang) trucks.

Changchun hosted the 2007 Winter Asian Games.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/

Climatic Features

Changchun in the heart of the Songliao Plain in Northeast China's, a vast flat extension of land with elevations ranging from 250 to 350 meters at the transitional belt between the humid eastern mountains and the semi-arid western plains, has a semi-humid temperate continental monsoon climate. Its characteristics are: four distinct seasons, short, dry and windy springs; warm and rainy summers with few days of extreme high temperature; cool autumn with large temperature difference between day and night; and long cold winters. For five months of the year, the mean temperature is below 0℃.

In spring, temperature recovers slowly: the monthly mean temperature does not rise above 0℃ until April. Spring is the also season strong winds visit most frequently. The warm weather and green shades in summer have earned it the fame of "Spring City of North Borders". In the warmest month of July, the mean temperature is only 23.1℃. The humid summer has rich precipitation: there is a 350-400 mm precipitation from June to August, over 60 percent of the yearly total. With a weaker wind force in autumn than in spring, it may remain sunny and warm for several consecutive days but day-night temperature varies greatly. The winter is lastingly cold: the mean temperature drops to -15.1℃ in January when there is little precipitation, dry climate, sometimes blizzards or even snowstorms.

Folk Art

Er Ren Zhuan, is a kind of unique folk opera in Northeast China, and is very popular among local people because it represents the native "fellowship and hospitality of the northeast". The fascinating and humorous performance will pin down every audience’s smile.

Yangge origining from the Song Dynasty is one of the most representative folk dance arts in northern China. When night falls on the Changchun city, every tourist will indulge himself in the oriental elegant dance on every square of the city.

Cuisine

Stewed pork with vermicelli
Stewed pork with vermicelli is the most common dishes in northeast China. This dish is served with pancakes. The meat stewed with vermicelli is fatty but not greasy, thin but not tough, which is scented with corn cakes.