Changchun

About Changchun

Changchun, whose name means long spring, is a city of wide boulevards, forest parks and factories in the heart of Northeast China. The capital of Jilin province, it is home to China's first car plant, First Automobile Works, founded in the 1950s, and to one of its most storied film studios, which has earned it the nicknames Auto City and Film City.

Its modern layout dates from the early 20th century, when the South Manchuria Railway reached the town, and above all from 1932 to 1945, when it served as Hsinking, the capital of the Japanese-controlled state of Manchukuo. Puyi, the last emperor of China, lived here as a puppet ruler, and the ministries built for his regime still line Xinmin Avenue.

Visitors come to tour his palace, now a museum, to walk the planned avenues and Culture Square, and to step behind the scenes at the old film studio. Jingyuetan's forests and lake, the World Sculpture Park and Nanhu Park offer room to breathe, and winter brings skiing and ice festivals.