Jilin overview 吉林市

About Jilin city

Its city museum adds an unexpected natural-history focus: the large Jilin meteorite and the story of the 1976 meteorite fall. The riverside Sacred Heart church and Beishan's temple landscape offer two different architectural settings. These local stops form a useful introduction before separate excursions to Songhua Lake or the ski resorts outside the city.

Jilin's urban history is officially dated to the 2nd century BCE, when the state of Northern Buyeo (北扶余) built its capital, Huicheng (秽城), at the foot of Dongtuan Mountain (东团山) in what is now the city, though human activity in the area goes back to the Stone Age. In 346, forces of the Xianbei (鲜卑) ruler Murong Huang (慕容皝) captured the city and the Buyeo capital moved west. In 410, King Gwanggaeto of Goguryeo (广开土大王) extended his power into the area and built Longtan Mountain City (龙潭山山城) to defend against the Sumo Mohe (粟末靺鞨).

The city's name comes from the Manchu Jilin Ula (吉林乌拉), meaning 'along the river'; the Kangxi Emperor (康熙) had it abbreviated to Jilin in 1685, and the name was fixed with the establishment of Jilin Subprefecture (吉林厅) in 1747. Jilin is also called River City (江城), from a line in a poem Kangxi wrote during an eastern tour in 1682. The Qing government established Jilin Prefecture (吉林府) in 1882.

Jilin is the only Chinese city that shares its name with its province, and the easternmost Chinese city with an urban population over one million. It holds the titles of National Historical and Cultural City (国家历史文化名城), National Garden City (国家园林城市) and National Civilized City (全国文明城市), and co-hosted the 2007 Asian Winter Games.

What to look for

• The Jilin meteorite collection and city-history displays at Jilin City Museum.
• The riverside Sacred Heart church and Beishan's hillside temples.

The surrounding area

A different city from Changchun, with a Songhua riverfront and weather-dependent winter rime.

Location & getting there

Getting to Jilin city

For this city route, begin at Jilin City Museum at 100 Jilin Avenue. The church is at 3 Songjiang Middle Road across the central river area, and Beishan's approach is on Desheng Road; use local transfers between them as needed.