| Changchun is one of the few cities in China that boasts a sizeable
minority population including Manchurians, Muslims, Mongolians,
Xibao and Zhuang. Located in the very center of the Dongbei
Plain, Chanchun began its life in 1800 as a major granary
in the north due to its unparalleled fertile soil. Within
a quarter of a century, it quickly gained its fame as
the rice and soy producing city of Asia.
Changchun lay in peace throughout the 19th century until it began
to be disturbed with the collapse of the Qing Dynasty.
In 1924, the last (already deposed emperor) Puyi, moved
to Changchun by order of, and for protection under, the
expanding, ambitious Japanese.
Changchun remained the capital of the
Japanese Manchukuo state from around 1932 until 1945.
It was not until after the liberation that this situation
was officially put to an end. Puyi was thrown into prison.
Changchun has grown speedly in recent
year, concentrating on major primary industries. The discovery
of large oil & gas reserves in the late 1950s gave
the Changchun city the added boost that it needed to carry
its modernisation into the twenty first century. With
such a thriving environment the city began to churn out
a variety of goods. Most notable were films from the propaganda
machine, the Changchun Film Studio, the automobile industry,
with Liberation Trucks heading towards Korea, and "red
flag" Limousines heading for Changchun's Zhongnanhai
(the leadership compound). Today, cars running on the
road of Changchun are mainly Golf, Santana, and Audi,
thanks to the establishment of a Sino-German joint venture.
It
is not industry that brings tourists to the city, however,
but a variety of other factors, mainly related to
the cities pleasant scenery, its history or its skiing.
For more excitement, the snowy slopes of Jingyuetan are
a good way to enjoy the cold. |
