Various Jilin Province Historic Sites and Scenes :
City of Changchun
This page was last updated on: August 19, 2013
The Main Tourists destinations within Jilin Province include Songhua Hu and BeidaHu Ski Resorts south-east of Jilin City, the Changbai Shan Nature Reserve and its BaiYun Shan (Paektu-San) Volcano, and various small Cities on the North Korean Border.
In the Past 10 to 15 years these were the most visited sites. However, the western regions of Jilin, especially the City of Da'An and Chagan Lake are seeing increased visitors over recent years.
Highlights, Monuments and Scenic Sites of Jilin Province of China
nearby lakes, Xindian Lake, Xinmiao Lake and Kuli Lake, Chagan Lake forms the Center of Chagan Lake Nature Reserve, a huge relatively pristine and sparsely inhabited wildlife area of over 480 Square Kilometers. Xindian Lake, which is grown full with reeds and is home to some 70 species of fish, functions as the main breeding base for a multitude of rare bird species in the area such as Chinese goosander's and white swans, pheasants, cormorants, and red-crowned cranes. The abundance of birds, fish and grass also makes the lake area's a great habitat for foxes, rabbits, wolves and snakes. In the vast grasslands among the hills grow more than 200 kinds of wild plants, 150 of which are counted as valuable herbs.
Although Xindian Lake remains an important harvesting site for reeds and continues to have a small scale fishing industry, much has been done to restore the natural borders and banks of the Lake, an important contribution to preservation of rare animal species as well as to local tourism. Since, the number of birds visiting the Lake has visibly increased each year.
fishermen on the Ice !
Xindian Lake Area is the worlds only place where this ancient Mongolian Ice Fishing Method is preserved. To Celebrate its unique place in world cultural heritage the Chagan Lake recently established its very own annual Chagan Lake Ice and Snow Fishing Tourism Festival, which usually held on December 28 each year. The year 2008 saw the 7th edition of Chagan Lake Festival.
A Satellite Image based Map of the the North-Eastern (Manchuria) Chinese Province of Jilin (with parts of Liaoning Province), the Chinese-North Korean Border, Part of Russian Primorsky Krai (Maritime) Province of Siberia in the Russian Federation, and the Nations of North Korea (DPRK) and South Korea (DRK) on the Korean Peninsula. - Mouse over Map to Reveal Chinese-North-Korean Border.
Full Information and Photos on Changchun coming soon !
The Changbai Mountain in the east is a mystery to the world with sky pond in the mountains and rarenesses in the woods. The sky pond of the Changbai Mountain is the biggest crater lake of China, and the waterfall of the Changbai Mountain is the headwaters of Songhua River, Tumen River and Yalu River. The Grand Canyon of the Changbai Mountain is very great and barren. The Jilin rime is praised as one of the four natural wonders. Songhua Lake is the country’s key scenery spot. The Sanjiaolong Bay of Huinan is the typical vent of the ancient volcano. Jingyue Pond of Changchun is the national forest park, which is the biggest of the man-made forest in Asia. Xianghai natural reserve of Tongyu is awarded“A” natural reserve recorded into the world famous wetland directory. Ji’an Gaogouli is famous to the world for being a world cultural heritage, its General Grave is so grand that it is called “east pyramid”, and the Haotaiwang Stele is the treasure of national stele art. The ancient city of Huanglong mansion lying in Nong’an county was the important town of military affairs of Liao and Jin dynasty and the center of the politics and economy, and the“Liao Tower” in the county is known to the world.
Chagan Lake Nature Reserve & Xindian Lake Culture:
Korean Balhae Kingdom , Ancient Tombs of Longtou Mountain :
Other lesser known but often visited sites in Jilin Province are the Balhae Kingdom Archeological Sites near Ji'An Border City with North-Korea - a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site since 1997 AD.
Subsequent to the fall of Goguryeo Kingdom at the hands of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and the Korean Silla Kingdom in 668 AD, Dae Joyeong, a former Goguryeo general, formed an army of Goguryeo and Malgal (a Tungusic tribe) people, and led a migration Northwards into Chinese-controlled territory. They settled eventually near Jilin in Manchuria, and founded a state which was at first called Jin, but in 713 was renamed Balhae (Bohai in Chinese).
During its highpoint in the mid 9Th Century AD Balhae territory extended from the Sungari and Amur rivers in northern Manchuria all the way down to the northern provinces of modern Korea. Its capital was Donggyeong, a City located in the Area of Jilin City and the place where the state had originally been founded. Having declared itself the successor state of Goguryeo, which is considered to be the 1st Korean Kingdom in world history, the Balhae Kingdom and its historic relics are very important in Korean Nationalism and forms the basis for (theoretical) Korean claims to Chinese Territories in Jilin Province and beyond.
The Balhae Kingdom left a collection of relics scattered around Jilin Province and North Korea, however access to sites in North Korea is difficult. Therefor, the most accesible and unique collections of specimens are found inside China at 3 burial zones together known as the ancient Tombs at Longtou Mountain. These are a collection of twelve burials for royalty of the Balhae (Bohai) Kingdom located inside Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, at southeast Toudao Township (头道镇), Helong County.
The most famous of the Longtou Mountain Tombs is the Mausoleum of Princess Jeonghyo (known as Zhenxiao in Chinese), a Tomb dated to 793 AD and only first opened and explored in 1980 AD. Among the contents of this mausoleum, inside the central chamber there are four murals on each wall, depicting a total of thirteen persons in action. These are warriors, chamber attendants, musicians, and maids wearing colorful robes in red, blue, yellow, purple, and brown colors. The drawing and painting styles are slightly influenced by those of the Tang Dynasty, revealing the multi-ethnic backgrounds of the Balhae Kingdom. These murals are unique in the world, and are the first complete discovered and detailed murals of Balhae Kingdom Art.
Another noteworthy Monument in Jilin is the Museum of the War of Resistance against Japan in Tonghua both in south-east Jilin Province.
(Historical sites of this part of the province include Goguryeo sites, the tombs of Wandu, Guknae Seong and the Pyramidal General Tomb in Jilin Jilin, which are listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site.)
Other sensational sights can be found at the Sup'Ung Reservoir Lake where a hydro-electric dam blocks the Yalu River and supplies electricity to both Chinese North-Eastern Cities and North Korea.
Ji'An City + Area - Goguryeo Kingdom Archeological Sites :
In winter when it is usually bitterly cold, all Lakes are frozen solid. But on Xindian Lake one can watch fishermen - mostly Ethnic Mongolians - catch fish from the frozen waters, as Chagan Lake is one of the few places in China where locals are permitted to do so. Have patience as a rare art unfolds !
The procedure involves some interesting Buddhist ceremony as well as traditional methods of navigating across and breaking through the ice. Often wine is involved. When after a long patient wait something has been caught, the Gods and the Lake must be thanked for their gifts.
Hike pleasantly along the 128 Kilometers of banks on this lake, or take to the woods and hills to enjoy the peaceful and idyllic surroundings. When visiting in winter, do not miss out on the Mongolian Ethnic Minority living along the Lake Shores with their unique and ancient Mongolian fishing traditions. However be careful as ice fishing is regarded a dangerous procedure. Best watch from a (safe) distance and do not mingle with the
Chagan Lake (Chagan Zhuoer or "White Lake" in Mongolian Language) is among the 10 largest fresh water lakes in China, measuring 37 kilometers long and 17 kilometers wide. Connecting together with 3
Anyone taking a boat-ride on the Tumen River better be well aware that the River border itself is in dispute. That is, although through an old agreement and Chinese held custom, the river is divided into a Chinese Half (50%) and a North-Korean Half (50%) the North Koreans do not agree.
In effect this means that on normal days the River is dived half-half, since the North Korean Government has no particluar interest in unsettling the Chinese. However, whenever the border is in dispute - eventhough it may be only some eager tourists or journalist trying to get a meaningless extra peek into North Korea -, the North Korean Border Patrols may respond in Force. The latest ones to get caught were two American Journalists. The two in case, American Journalists Laura Ling (Chinese American) and Euna Lee (Korean American) were detained by North Korean Border Forces and held captive for months on charges of "illegaly intruding into" the
DPRK. The Incident happened on March 21 2009 AD when according Chinese sources on the border the three American journalists and their Chinese guide, an ethnic Korean, crossed the border around sunrise on Tuesday near Tumen, a Chinese border city.
The Tumen River, which forms the border, is only 20 or 30 yards wide in the area, according to human rights advocates who have visited there. Much of the river bed is dry, and the shallow water is frozen at this time of the year, well before the rainy season. Because of this much of the river becomes land and it is difficult to tell where the border lies. On top of this the Koreans may do as they please in their 50% of the River.
All in all 4 people were involved and two were arrested. The Two Journalists have been released since after direct negotations with ex-President Clinton. The Journalists have since admitted it was a deliberate border crossing into North Korea, however brief it was.
The point of the Story: Anything is possible since North Korea has kidnapped foreigners before (Japanese, Korean and others), and knows other more severe behaviors. North Korean Border Guards take their job a bit too seriously so when visting, do not become adventurous and start an invasion !
If you do invade, according to the news articles North Korean guards often stay hidden in bunkerlike guard posts, so be warned for them.
Journalists Euna Lee & Laura Ling: in 2009 convicted to 12 years in a Labor Camp.
Saved
by
Luck.
A Last remote and somewhat obscure tourist destination is the north-eastern border City of Tumen, part of the large Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture where masses of North Korean refugees are reportedly hiding out. Here the odd visitor can loiter about on the Tumen River banks and gawk away at the Tumen-Namyang Bridge across which railway traffic enters North-Korea bringing lately Chinese Consumer Goods and much needed grain and fuel supplies. On the river North-Korean boats patrol and on the other side only battered shacks and houses are in view. Not many people move about in North Korea. At night, the North Korean side of the border goes virtually pitch black. The sight is even more depressing than at Dandong on the Liaoning-North-Korean Border, where the mass of cross-border trade and contacts take place.
Great Wall of China in Jilin Province :
Only recently, 11 Sections of the Great Wall of China were identified in the extreme South-Eastern Corner of Jilin Province. So far 4 sections have been confirmed to date either to the Q'In Dynasty (221 BC - 207 BC) and succeeding Han Dynasty (207 BC - 220 AD). The location of these sections has so far only been identified asto be in Tonghua County in the vicinity of the Yalu River. This confirms early records which claim that the Q'in Dynasty Era Great Wall - in its Time the first and Longest such wall in Human History - measured well over 10.000 li and reached from Lintao in the west to Liaodong (now roughly Liaoning Province) in the east. Thus it was named 'Wanli Changcheng' which translates as Ten Thousand Li Great Wall.
The Eastern Section of the Q'In Dynasty Era Great Wall was built on the foundation of the ruins of Yan Dynasty walls. Previously it was thought that the Q'in Era Great Wall ended in the East near Fuxin City. In fact the Wall ran from Dandong up Northward along the Yalu River and Q'in China's Ancient Stone Dragon reached as far as the Mountains of the Korean Peninsula.
