Changchun Tourist Attractions

Capital of Jilin Province

Changchun (''Eternal Spring'') is known as ''Automobile City'' (Volkswagen), because the first Chinese motor car factory was founded here in 1953. Its universities and research institutes also play an important role, as do the film studios.

Changchun is still a relatively young town, having been founded in the 18th C. Following the construction of the Chinese rail network in the first half of the 20th C it developed into a focal point for traffic in Inner Mongolia and to North Korea. Between 1933 and 1945 Changchun, as the capital of the Japanese-controlled state, was named Mandchukuo Xinjing (''New Capital''). Puyi, the last of the Qing emperors, was crowned state emperor here in 1934.

Provincial Museum

The Provincial Museum is housed in the former Imperial Palace (Weiman Huanggong) in the northeast of the town. This magnificent edifice covers an area of 43,000sq.m/47,000 sq.yd. The various buildings form two complexes: the inner one served as Puyi's private residence, while the outer was used for official purposes only.

The following sections of the palace are of special historical interest: the Palace of Study and Kindness (Jixu Lou), where the Emperor's bedchamber, study, bathroom and prayer-hall are well preserved; the Palace of Diligence and Love of the People (Qinmin Lou), in which Puyi was crowned ruler of Manchuria; the Palace of Longing for Distant Lands (Huaiyuan Lou), used for banqueting, and finally the Hall of Common Virtue (Tongde Dian), where the Emperor received his relatives.

The present museum houses displays including provincial archaeological finds, old paintings and calligraphic documents.

Film Town

Changchun's well-known film studios lie on Hongqi Jie. Here visitors can see reproductions of streets, shops and other Beijing buildings. Genuine and fake jewelry, furniture and clothing of all kinds are housed in the props store, and visitors are shown some of the tricks employed in filming.

Changsha - Pavilion of the Heart of Heaven

This pavilion stands above the southeastern section of the town walls of Changsha. Its date of origin is uncertain; all that is known is that it was restored in 1759. In the 1950s a public park was laid out around the Pavilion.

Surroundings

There are a number of cultural sights and ruins in the Changchun surrounding area.

Ruins of Gaojuli

The Ruins of Gaojuli are to be found some 300km/190mi south of Changchun, near the Korean border. Gaojuli is the name of an ancient kingdom which was founded in 108 BC and destroyed in 427 BC. Today only a few remains bear witness to its existence.

Guoneicheng, the kingdom's capital, was built near the present-day Ji'an, on the west bank of the Yalu river. Its well-preserved defensive walls have a circumference of 2713m/8139ft. Square in plan, the town was also protected by a wide moat on its east, south and north sides, while the west was bordered by the Donggou river.

Close to the ruins can be seen some ten thousand graves dating from the same period; made of stone or clay, the sepulchers have survived the ravages of time remarkably well. The interior walls are frequently decorated with some wonderful murals.

Tomb of the General

Because of its conical shape the tomb of General Zhu Meng is also described as the ''Pyramid of the East''. The seven-story edifice is 12m/40ft high. As the result of plundering through the centuries nothing now remains of its interior furnishings.