Changchun
Country: People's Republic of China · 9,066,906 inhabitants · Founded: 1889
Attractions
Wikivoyage
Changchun (长春; Chángchūn; lit. Long Spring) is the capital of Jilin Province. With a population of more than 6 million, it is one of the major cities in Northeast China (东北; Dōngběi), and is the largest center for China's automotive industry.
Despite its relatively high population and economic importance, Changchun has a lot of greenery, especially stands of pine trees, and though it is a draw for university students and some investors, it is not a major tourist destination, which is probably one of the reasons people who do visit this city are likely to meet friendly people who are interested in speaking with them, not necessarily to sell them anything but just out of curiosity.
Wikipedia
Changchun is the capital and largest city of Jilin Province, China, on the Songliao Plain. Changchun is administered as a sub-provincial city, comprising seven districts, one county and three county-level cities. At the 2020 census of China, Changchun had a population of 9,066,906. Changchun's metro area, comprising five districts and one development area, had a population of 5,019,477. Shuangyang and Jiutai districts are not urbanized yet. It is one of the biggest cities in Northeast China, along with Shenyang, Dalian and Harbin.
The name of the city means "long spring" in Chinese. Between 1932 and 1945, Changchun was renamed Xinjing (Chinese: 新京; pinyin: Xīnjīng; lit. 'new capital') or Hsinking by the Kwantung Army as the capital of the Imperial Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo, occupying modern Northeast China. After the foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Changchun was established as the provincial capital of Jilin in 1954.
Known locally as China's "City of Automobiles", Changchun is an important industrial base with a particular focus on the automotive sector. Because of its key role in the domestic automobile industry, Changchun was sometimes referred to as the "Detroit of China". The FAW Group, one of the "Big Four" state-owned car manufacturers of China, is headquartered in the city. Apart from this industrial aspect, Changchun is also one of four "National Garden Cities" awarded by the Ministry of Construction of P.R. China in 2001 due to its high urban greening rate.
Changchun is also one of the top 30 cities in the world by scientific research as tracked by the Nature Index according to the Nature Index 2024 Science Cities. The city is home to several major universities, notably Jilin University and Northeast Normal University, members of China's prestigious universities in the Double First-Class Construction.