Jilin

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Jilin, Jilin, China

Jilin Bridge 1, Jilin, Jilin, China

Linjiangmen Bridge, Jilin City 1, Jilin, Jilin, China

THE WEST WAITING HALL OF JILIN RAILWAY STATION, Jilin, Jilin, China

吉林玄帝观 9, Jilin, Jilin, China

About Jilin

Jilin City wraps around a great S-bend of the Songhua River in China's northeast, and in the coldest weeks of winter it becomes famous for one thing: rime. Warm water released from the Fengman Dam upstream keeps the river open and steaming, and on still, frozen mornings the mist settles on riverside willows as white needles of frost.

This was the provincial capital until 1954, and the older city shows it. A Gothic Catholic church stands on the riverbank, a large Confucian temple keeps its red halls near the centre, and Beishan Park climbs a hill of Qing-era shrines. On Longtan Mountain across the river are the earthworks and stone pool of an ancient Goguryeo fortress, and a museum holds stones from the great meteorite shower that fell here in 1976.

Winter is the main draw, with ski slopes at Beidahu and Songhua Lake and the rime island at Wusong downriver. In summer the same lake and river become places for boat trips, cool evening walks and long northeastern dinners.

Best seasonDecember to February for rime, skiing and the ice festival; June to September for mild green summers

Ideal stay2-3 days: one in the city, one for rime or skiing

ArrivingHigh-speed trains from Changchun take well under an hour; Changchun Longjia International Airport lies between the two cities

Exploring Jilin: 10 Must-See Spots

Parks 1

Beishan Park Jilin, Jilin, Jilin, China

Beishan Park Jilin

Beishan, the North Mountain, is the city's best-loved hill park, its ridges crowned with Qing-era temple halls and pavilions linke...

Landmarks 1

Jilin Catholic Church, Jilin, Jilin, China

Jilin Catholic Church

Standing beside the Songhua River on Songjiang Road, this Gothic Revival church was completed in the 1920s and remains an active p...

History 2

Jilin Confucian Temple, Jilin, Jilin, China

Jilin Confucian Temple

Among the largest Confucian temples in China, Jilin's Wenmiao is a long sequence of red-walled courtyards, gates and halls built i...

Longtan Mountain Fortress, Jilin, Jilin, China

Longtan Mountain Fortress

East of the river, wooded Longtan Mountain hides the remains of a mountain fortress dating to the Goguryeo kingdom. Earthen and st...

Museums 1

Jilin Meteorite Museum, Jilin, Jilin, China

Jilin Meteorite Museum

On 8 March 1976 a meteorite broke up over Jilin and scattered stones across the countryside, among them one of the largest stony m...

Nature 2

Songhua Lake, Jilin, Jilin, China

Songhua Lake

South-east of the city, the Fengman Dam holds back the Songhua River to form Songhua Lake, a long reservoir winding between forest...

Wusong Island, Jilin, Jilin, China

Wusong Island

Wusong Island, also called Rime Island, sits in the Songhua River north of the city, and on the coldest winter mornings its rivers...

Viewpoints 1

Jilin Songjiang Riverside Promenade, Jilin, Jilin, China

Jilin Songjiang Riverside Promenade

The tree-lined walkway along the Songhua River through central Jilin is where most people first see the city's famous rime. Warm w...

Entertainment 1

Beidahu Ski Resort

In the mountains of Yongji County south of the city, Beidahu is one of north-east China's main ski areas, chosen for the alpine sk...

Events 1

Jilin Rime Ice and Snow Festival

Each winter Jilin celebrates its frost-covered riverbanks with the Rime Ice and Snow Festival, a season of events built around the...

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Photo: H2v5o68z, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

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Photo: Francesc Fort, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Francesc Fort, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: H2v5o68z, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Photo: H2v5o68z, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

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Photo: Francesc Fort, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Francesc Fort, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Francesc Fort, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Francesc Fort, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: 闫恩铭 / Enming Yan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0