Jilin

Jilin Province forms the central part of northeast China and is part of what was once known as Manchuria. Jilin borders Heilongjiang Province to the northeast, Russia to the east, North Korea to the southeast, Liaoning to the southwest and Inner Mongolia to the northwest.

Get in

By bus

Main Long-Distance Bus Station at 13 Zhongkang Road, west of the railway station

Harbin - takes about 12 hours
Tonghua - takes about 12 hours
Yanji - takes about 6 hours

Get around

Map of Jilin (city)

By bus

Jilin City's bus system is cheap and convenient, and most of the buses in the urban area charge only ¥1 no matter where you go. However, some buses become very crowded in the rush hour and you need to keep an eye on your valuables.

By taxi

There are many taxis in the city, and you can easily take one everywhere if you are in the urban area. All taxis charge a starting fee of ¥5 and an additional ¥2 per kilometer after the first 2.5

See

Hutong life in downtown Jilin

Museums

#/maplink/0) [Jilin City Manchu Museum](http://www.jlsmzbwg.org.cn/index, 47 Desheng Road, Chuanying District on the south side of Beishan Park; bus routes 7, 42, 75 and 809, ☏ +86 432 62279123. Visitors must enter the museum at one of the following timesː 09ː00, 10ː00, 13ː30, or 14ː30. The museum is closed on Mondays. A museum about the history and culture of the Manchu people. Free.
#/maplink/1) Jilin City Museum Jílín Shì Bówùguǎn), 100 Jilin Avenue ( 100 Jílín Dàjiē) nearby bus stops include Jilin TV Station, Century Square and Jiangnan Park South Gate; take bus no. 3, 33, 61, 66, 130, 301 or 809, ☏ +86 432 64661214, +86 432 64687460.09ː00-15ː30 (Jilin Urban Development History Exhibition Hall, 08ː30-16ː30 (all other exhibition halls).A general museum about the natural and human history of the city. Includes a special exhibition hall housing the largest extant stone meteorite in the world and you may touch a smaller one. In 1976, Jilin was hit by a heavy meteorite storm. Many of the stones were collected and placed into this museum. Entry to most of the exhibition halls is free. Entrance to the Meteorite Exhibition Hall, however, usually costs ¥70, though this fee will be waived if you are aged over 65 or if you are a child who is either aged under 6 or less than 1.2 metres in height.[Jilin Navy Barracks Museum](http://www.jlssybwg.com/index.html, 206 Desheng Road, Chuanying District bus no. 7, ☏ +86 432 62280045.09ː00-11ː00, 13ː00-15ː30, closed on Mondays, Thursdays and public holidays. Tells the story of the Jilin Navy Barracks, which was established in 1661 and played a major role in the city's history up until its disbandment in 1910. Free.

Public squares

#/maplink/3) Century Square Shìjì Guǎngchǎng, 100 Jilin Avenue, Fengman District immediately south of Jilin Bridge; bus routes 3, 33, 61, 66, 130 and 301).Public Square. Locals come to skate (skate and skateboard hire shops avail., or sit and people watch.
#/maplink/4) Jiangcheng Square Jiāngchéng Guǎngchǎng, 153 Jilin Avenue bus routes 3, 30, 32, 33, 40, 42, 61, 66, 130, 140 and 301).A symbol of Jilin City.

Religious sites

#/maplink/5) Catholic Church of Jilin Jílín Tiānzhǔ Jiàotáng, 3 Songjiang Middle Road ( 3 Sōngjiāng Zhōnglù, Chuanying Districtnear Jiangcheng Square; bus routes 3, 30, 32, 33, 40, 42, 61, 66, 130, 140 and 301, ☏ +86 432 62011898.08ː00-18ː00. This is an active church with a few dedicated nuns. To visit this church is a way an escape from the contemporary money-oriented city for a time. The interior design of this church is similar to that of modern churches which were built in Scandinavia during the early 20th century. There is a very small library inside, with Bibles mainly in Chinese and a few in Russian. Free.
#/maplink/6) Jilin Wen Miao Confucian Temple Museum Jílín Wénmiào Bówùguǎn, 2 Nanchang Road ( 2 Nānchāng Lù) bus routes 3, 30, 32, 33, 40, 42, 61, 66, 130, 140 and 301; alight at Jiangcheng Square, ☏ +86 432 62454333. This is the largest Confucius temple in Manchuria. It was built in 1736 but replaced by the present one in 1909, it includes an exhibition on the Qing Dynasty imperial examination system. There is a modern Confucius sculpture in front of the main buildings. If you have seen some old photos of this temple, you would probably feel sad when visiting it. Around the temple, there are a lot of tall buildings which completely destroy the original atmosphere. To make things worse, the noise from the nearby highway is extremely annoying. And the people who work in the temple know extremely little about the temple and why such a temple was constructed in this place. The best way to learn some history of this temple is to hire a guide from the local CITS office.¥25.
#/maplink/7) Xuandi Temple, Xuantian Ridge, Beiji Subdistrict, Chuanying District bus no. 53), ☏ +86 13089457166 (reception, +86 15568497528 (office, xuandiguan@163.com.08ː00-18ː00. One of the largest Taoist temples in Jilin Province. The temple was built in 1738 but destroyed during the Culture Revolution. Most of the present structures, which are modelled on the originals, were constructed between 2006 and 2016, and as of 2019, some buildings were still under construction. Free.

Do

Ice Lantern FestivalBingdeng Jie).Mid-January.
Beidahu Skiing GroundHas a long snowing season, and is a renowned skiing ground in China. Snow sports section of the 6th Asian Winter Games was held there.

Parks and nature

Beishan Park Běishān Gōngyuán; lit. North Hill Park), 51 Desheng Road ( Déshèng Lù), Chuanying Districtbus routes 7, 42, 75 and 809, ☏ +86 432 69980110.06ː00-18ː00 (May to October, 07ː00-18ː00 (November to April).This large park is a good place to see lotus flowers in the summer and ice-rimmed trees in the winter. The park features lakes where you can go boating and also some small mountains. Scattered around the park is a number of temples and other buildings. Free.

Ice-rimmed TreesAlong Songhua River).January and February. This is a natural phenomenon which occurs when warm water from the river meets the cold winter air, forming ice crystals on the trees. The phenomenon is considered one of the four major natural wonders of China (along with the mountains and lakes of Guilin, Stone Forest of Yunnan, and Three Gorges of Yangtze River.
#/maplink/9) Longtan Mountain Park Lóngtánshān Gōngyuán; lit. Dragon Pool Mountain Park, 2 Longshan Road, Longtan District in Jilin's eastern suburbs; bus routes 12, 30, 42, 44, 76, and 218, ☏ +86 432 3093384. Daily 07:30-17:30. Also known as the Longtan Mountain Ruins Park. This was once the site of a city built by the ancient Korean Kingdom of Goguryeoi. Free.
#/maplink/10, Fengman District about 15 km from the city centre; take bus no. 333 to get to the visitor centre; you may catch the bus from the east side of the Jilin Railway Station, ☏ +86 432-64696755, jlsonghuahu@sina.com.08ː00-17ː00. Also known as Fengman Reservoir, this is a man-made lake that formed during the Japanese occupation following the construction of the Fengman Dam and Fengman Hydropower Station. Entry fee ¥10, boat cruise ¥50.Zhuque Mountain National Forest Park Zhūquèshān Guójiā Sēnlín Gōngyuán; lit. Rosefinch Mountain, 10 km, Jifeng Road East, Fengman District Bus routes 33 and 333, ☏ +86 432 64781725,448222185@qq.com.05ː00-17ː00. Temples, hiking and the local ski area. Food and accommodation are available at the park.¥30.
#/maplink/12) Songhua River, Songhua River, Funying District150 metres northwest of Riverside Park).Open daily 18:00-21:00. Free admission.

Local articles

Local articles to be found here include:

Ginseng — used as natural medicine, one of the Three Northeast Treasures.
Marten — fur used for clothing, one of the Three Northeast Treasures.
Pilose antler — from sika deer or wapiti, used as natural medicine and considered to be helpful against a great variety of weaknesses, one of the Three Northeast Treasures. They are produced from a number of large deer farms in and around Jilin.
Kirigami — paper cutting art works.
Painted calabash — local art works.

Department stores

East Shopping Building131 Henan Road.
Jilin Department Store179 Jilin Road.
Jilin Fortune Shopping Mall Jílín Cáifù Gòuwùguǎngchǎng, 1367 1367 Chongqing Jie.
Ouya Commercial CapitalBehind Century Square on Binjiang West Road.

Budget

Yanbinyuan Dumpling Restaurant Yànbīnyuán Jiǎoziguǎn), Sichuan Street ( Sìchuānjiē, ☏ +86 432 6956288.
Yangmazi Da BingJiefang Road at Dongchang Street, across from the Jiangcheng Press building).Feast on delicious family-style dishes and a wide variety of the eponymous flat breads (Da Bing. With beer, a meal will cost less than ¥30.
Mom's house Jiefang Road north of Liaobei Road).As you might expect, dishes are traditional family style at this bright, loud, smoky, home-style restaurant. The difference from many places in Jilin is the sheer quality of the dishes, and the location ensures enough foreign patrons that you won't encounter any staring squads or over-curious waiters.
Xiang Rui Chuan DianChangjiang Street at Huashan Road).A loud and smoky kebab house just a short walk east of Century Square, this always-busy place sells what is hands-down the best chuan (Chinese kebab) in town. Lamb kebabs, chicken heart kebabs, mantou, chicken wings are all amazing. Also delicious noodles like the spicy beef noodles.

Mid-range

Qingxiangyuan Restaurant Qīngxiāngyuán Fàndiàn, Chuányíngqū ShùnchéngjiēNext to Yuhua Garden, buses 1, 8, 34, 46, ☏ +86 432 7994188. Manchurian cuisine.
Laobai Sausage Restaurant
Little Boy Western Food Xiǎonánhái Fàndiàn) Qingdao Jie at Henan Jie).Inauthentic but still good western and Korean food, some Chinese dishes. Good prices, nice atmosphere, and a streetside patio for a beer or five.
Xinyuan Dumpling RestaurantDumplings.
Dongsheng Islamic RestaurantTianjin Road.
Zhonghua Ming ShifuJiefang Avenue, ☏ +86 432 2438333. 10:30-21:00. Local food popular with locals.

Splurge

Liyade Shifu56 Jiefang Zhong Road, ☏ +86 432 2081010. 10:00-22:00. Muslim restaurant. Serves small portions of tasty mutton dishes.
Jin Zhou Tang ChengXiamen Jie and Hengshan Lu).Good, authentic Korean restaurant. Galbi, Bibimbab, Bulgogi, and, of course, Kimchi. Also, dog meat. Second location on Jiefang Beilu north of Yan'an Lu.
Full HouseDongtan Jie at Jiangwan Lu. Excellent Korean food in the heart of Jilin's Korean district. Staff and most customers are ethnically Korean. Most staff speak English very well.
Cherry BlossomJiefang North Road, across from Empire Garden Hotel).Housed in a small two-storey building (you can't miss it in this city where everything is 6 storeys, this Japanese sushi house offers a variety of all-you-can-eat options. At ¥169, the cheapest option is still pricey, but the quality and variety of sashimi and dishes are unmatched in Dongbei, and come with as much hot sake as you can drink.
German Beer BarNew Century Building, Songjiang East Road).If you get tired of dumplings, noodles, and chuan, head for this place in the plaza near Wen Miao. German beer by the bottle and European sausages and mustards are served for the premium prices you might expect.

Drink

Jinbake Bar Jīnbākè Jiǔbā), 7 Hunchun Street ( 7 Húnchūnjiē.
MIX BarMIX MIX Jiǔbā), North Avenue ( Běidàjiē, ☏ +86 432 2030388.
Hive BarHIVE Binjiang Donglu near Beihua University East Gate).A college dive bar like you'd expect to see in California. Cheap draft beer, Western spirits (not fake, and a laid-back atmosphere with snowboards on the wood-panelled walls, and a fireplace, populated almost exclusively by college students, often foreigners. It is almost impossible to get a taxi from here after 23:00.

Budget

Motel (Railway Station Branch) Mòtài Liánsuǒ Lǚdiàn (Jílín Huǒchēzhàndiàn)), 199 Tianjin Street, Changyi District ( 199 Chāngyìqū Tiānjīnjiē, ☏ +86 432 6528888. Rooms with free internet. Listed rates for doubles from ¥158, breakfast ¥15.

Mid-range

Jiangcheng Hotel4 Jiangwan Rd. Jilin, ☏ +86 432 2457721, fax: +86 432 2458973.

Splurge

Empire Garden Hotel Jílín Huángjiā Huāyuán Jiǔdiàn), 10 Liaoning Road, north end of Jiefang Avenue, Changyi District ( 10 Chāngyìqū jiěfàngdàlùběiduàn Liáonínglù, ☏ +86 432 2169999, fax: +86 432 2169000, eghotel@eghotel.com. Listed rates for doubles from ¥980, discounted from ¥400.

Go next

Changbaishan National Nature Reserve is 565