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Prefecture-level city in Jilin, People's Republic of China
Photo: User: (WT-shared) Noelmuller at wts wikivoyage, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Jilin (吉林 Jílín) is one of the most beautiful cities in Manchuria. Jilin is far more pleasant and manageable than most of the cities in Dongbei (Northeast China). Spend a day wandering around the (largely rebuilt) hutongs, clustered between the river to the south, railway tracks to the north, Tianjin Jie to the east, and Bei Da Jie to the west. Stumble upon scrumptious snacks and small temples and mosques.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
吉林市满族博物馆
A museum about the history and culture of the Manchu people.
吉林市博物馆 Jílín Shì Bówùguǎn
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.
吉林水师营博物馆
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.
世纪广场 Shìjì Guǎngchǎng
Public Square. Locals come to skate (skate and skateboard hire shops avail.), or sit and people watch.
江城广场 Jiāngchéng Guǎngchǎng
A symbol of Jilin City.
吉林天主教堂 Jílín Tiānzhǔ Jiàotáng
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.
吉林文庙博物馆 Jílín Wénmiào Bówùguǎn
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.
玄帝观
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.
Bingdeng Jie
Has a long snowing season, and is a renowned skiing ground in China. Snow sports section of the 6th Asian Winter Games was held there.
北山公园 Běishān Gōngyuán; lit. North Hill Park
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.
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).
龙潭山公园 Lóngtánshān Gōngyuán; lit. Dragon Pool Mountain Park
Also known as the Longtan Mountain Ruins Park (龙潭山遗址公园). This was once the site of a city built by the ancient Korean Kingdom of Goguryeoi.
松花湖
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.
朱雀山国家森林公园 Zhūquèshān Guójiā Sēnlín Gōngyuán; lit. Rosefinch Mountain
Temples, hiking and the local ski area. Food and accommodation are available at the park.
松花江
宴宾园饺子馆 Yànbīnyuán Jiǎoziguǎn
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.
妈妈家
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.
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 (羊肉串), chicken heart kebabs (鸡心串), mantou (馒头), chicken wings (鸡翅) are all amazing. Also delicious noodles like the spicy beef noodles (麻辣牛肉面).
清香园饭店 Qīngxiāngyuán Fàndiàn
Manchurian cuisine.
小男孩饭店 Xiǎonánhái Fàndiàn
Inauthentic but still good western and Korean food, some Chinese dishes. Good prices, nice atmosphere, and a streetside patio for a beer or five.
Dumplings.
Local food popular with locals.
Muslim restaurant. Serves small portions of tasty mutton dishes.
Good, authentic Korean restaurant. Galbi, Bibimbab, Bulgogi, and, of course, Kimchi. Also, dog meat. Second location on Jiefang Beilu north of Yan'an 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.
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.
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.
金巴克酒吧 Jīnbākè Jiǔbā
MIX酒吧 MIX Jiǔbā
HIVE 酒吧
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.
莫泰连锁旅店 (吉林火车站店) Mòtài Liánsuǒ Lǚdiàn (Jílín Huǒchēzhàndiàn)
Rooms with free internet.
吉林皇家花园酒店 Jílín Huángjiā Huāyuán Jiǔdiàn
吉林财富购物广场 Jílín Cáifù Gòuwùguǎngchǎng
By train
Trains arrive at Jilin Railway Station (吉林站 Jílín Zhàn).
By bus
Main Long-Distance Bus Station at 13 Zhongkang Road, west of the railway station
By taxi
There are many taxis in the city, and you can easily take one everywhere if you are in the urban area.5 km.2 per kilometer.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Changchun · International · CGQ
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