Overview
Jilin is a province in China's northeast, known for its long, snowy winters, volcanic landscapes and the Korean and Manchu cultures along its eastern border.
Province
Jilin
吉林省 · Capital: 长春
Map & Prefectures
Loading map…
Tip: click a prefecture on the map to open its page.
Prefecture-level cities
Read articles about Jilin →About Jilin
Geography
Jilin lies on the southern slopes of the Changbai Mountains, with the Tumen and Yalu rivers forming the border with North Korea. It features the famous Heaven Lake (Tianchi) in a volcanic caldera.
History
Historically part of Manchuria, Jilin was a center of the Qing imperial hunting grounds and later a key industrial and railway region. The Changbai Mountains are sacred in Manchu mythology.
Culture
Jilin is home to the Korean ethnic minority, celebrated through song, dance and cuisine, and to the Manchu and Mongol heritages. Winter festivals and ice fishing are local highlights.
Cuisine
The food features cold-weather dishes: stewed frozen tofu, Korean bibimbap and kimchi, and the "sauerkraut-pork" hotpot of the northeast.
Highlights
Must-see: Changbai Mountain and Heaven Lake, the rime ice (wùsōng) of Jilin City, and the Puppet Emperor's Palace in Changchun.