# Changchun travel guide (长春) Jilin Province · Northeast, China · 10 places Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/destinations/jilin/changchun ## Quick itinerary - **Day 1:** Jingyuetan → Changying Century City → Culture Square - **Day 2:** World Sculpture Park → Banruo Temple → Former Manchukuo Imperial Palace Museum → Nanhu Park - **Day 3:** Diaoshuihu ## The feel of the place - **Film:** The city seems to have an enduring bond with film: China's first film studio was located here, and it is also home to the renowned China Changchun Film Festival. - **Car City:** Changchun is known as the 'Car City.' FAW Changchun still leads China's automobile industry. - **Green:** Changchun is also known as the 'Spring City' and enjoys a reputation as a forest city. ## Getting there & around ### Getting There and Away As the capital of Jilin Province, Changchun is undoubtedly an important transport hub in the Northeast. ### Flights Currently, flights serve more than 20 domestic and international routes, including Beijing, Dalian, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Seoul in South Korea. ### Rail The Beijing–Harbin, Changbai and Changchun–Tumen railway lines cross here in a large cross shape. Changchun Station handles more than 400 passenger train arrivals and departures a day, making it the third-largest passenger station in the Northeast. ### High-Speed Rail Changchun West is the high-speed rail station. Since the Harbin–Dalian railway opened, the fastest trip from Changchun to Beijing takes 5 hours, to Dalian 2.5 hours, and to Harbin or Shenyang about 1 hour. ### Road National Highway 102 (Beijing–Harbin Expressway) and National Highway 302 (Ulanhot–Tumen) run north–south and east–west. The Changchun–Jilin and Changchun–Yilan expressways provide extensive connections. Changchun is connected by expressways on all sides, making travel convenient. To visit Jilin and Changbai Mountain, Changchun is a good transfer point. ### Local Transport Changchun's bus network is extensive, with 270 bus routes. Changchun currently has six metro lines in operation: Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8. - **Airport Information Hotline** — - **Airport Information Desk** — ## Eat & drink ### Specialty Restaurants ### Local Snacks ### Food Changchun's cuisine combines the best of Sichuan, Shandong and Beijing cooking. Local Northeastern dishes include home-style stewed fish, red-braised meatballs, the Manchu Eight Bowls, ginseng steamed chicken and lamb braised with kidney beans, all must-tries in Changchun. Many dishes use Changbai Mountain ingredients such as ginseng and matsutake mushrooms, combining medicinal diet with cooking for good health. - **Xiangyangtun** — The interior has an old-fashioned rural look: private rooms are named after villages, and the walls are covered with old newspapers and vintage propaganda posters. Serves authentic Northeastern home cooking. Recommended: pork ribs stewed with green beans, one-pot dishes, cornmeal flatbread and blood sausage. (2811 Dongsheng Avenue, 13384483612) - **Dongfang Meat House** — If you're a true carnivore, you've come to the right place. This is a restaurant serving only meat dishes with rice, and especially in winter, it's pure satisfaction. (Intersection of Fanrong Road and Jianmin Street, 0431-85874888) - **Dongfang Dumpling King** — Located by the scenic Nanhu Lake, the restaurant is clean and bright. Besides big Northeastern dumplings, the side dishes are especially good. There are often long queues, so book ahead or go when it's quiet. (Main branch at 3858 Gongnong Avenue, Chaoyang District, 0431-85693868) - **Socialist New Countryside (Yueyang Branch)** — Decorated with New Year prints, slogans and old photographs, serving authentic Northeastern flavours. Recommended: pork stewed in the village style (shazhucai), pork ribs with green beans, vegetable dumplings and small tofu. (1186 Yueyang Street, Nanguan District, 0431-85666606/85666600) - **Li Liangui Smoked Meat Pancake** — A distinctively Northeastern snack that originated in Siping, a city near Changchun. It now has chain outlets nationwide. - **Lao Hantou Chicken-Broth Tofu Skewers** — A flavourful local snack. Lao Han's braised chicken intestines are highly recommended. The Lao Hantou tofu skewers from Yongchang Hutong are said to be the most authentic. ## Nightlife Er Ren Zhuan (two-person comedy duet) is the most popular folk art form in the Northeast. The Er Ren Zhuan performed at Changchun's Heping Grand Theatre, with its new comedic style combining talk, song, character acting, dance and standout skills, has become a distinctive Northeastern cultural brand and a highlight of Changchun's entertainment scene. There are now four performance venues. In the evenings, citizens often spontaneously perform the traditional Northeastern big yangge (folk dance) at Xinmin Square and Friendship Store in the city centre. The dance is lively and unpretentious, one of the representative forms of folk art. ## Where to stay You can stay in the university district near Changchun Film Studio. It is generally safe, though the accommodation is mostly simple small apartments. - **Changchun Mingren Hotel** — Close to Nanhu Park with a pleasant setting, especially lovely at night. (No. 1 Hubin Road, Chaoyang District, 0431-81963333) ## Things to see - **Changying Century City** (★★★★★): Admission Holiday ticket ¥240; Opening hours 9:30–17:00 (closed Mondays); Time needed 3–4 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/changying-century-city - **Changchun World Sculpture Park** (★★★★): Admission Park entry ¥30; combined park and museum ticket ¥60; Time needed 2–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/changchun-world-sculpture-park - **Museum of the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo** (★★★★): Admission ¥70 (includes the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo, the Racecourse and the Museum of the Northeast Occupation History); Opening hours 8:30–17:20 (summer); 8:30–16:50 (winter); Time needed 2–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/museum-of-the-imperial-palace-of-manchukuo - **Banruo Temple** (★★★): Admission Free; Opening hours 7:30–15:00 (closed Mondays); Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/banruo-temple - **Jingyuetan National Forest Park** (★★★★): Admission ¥30; Time needed 4–8 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/jingyuetan-national-forest-park - **Culture Square** (★★★★): Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/culture-square - **Nanhu Park** (★★★): Admission Free; the park occasionally hosts small ice-lantern or lotus exhibitions, which are charged separately; Time needed 2–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/nanhu-park - **Guandong Culture Park** (★★★): Time needed 4–8 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/guandong-culture-park - **Changchun Film Studio Former Site Museum** (★★★): Admission ¥90; Opening hours 9:00–17:30 (May 1–October 7); 9:00–16:30 (October 8–April 30); Time needed 2–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/changchun-film-studio-former-site-museum ## Day trips & beyond - **Chagan Lake** (★★★): Opening hours Best in winter; Time needed 1–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/chagan-lake --- Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), pp. 2214–2223. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.