Jilin

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For the city, see Jilin City.
吉林省
Jílín Shěng
Abbreviation(s): 吉 (pinyin: Jí)
Jilin is highlighted on this map
Origin of name from girin ula, a Manchu phrase meaning "along the river"
Administration type Province
Capital and
Largest City		 Changchun
CPC Jilin Committee Secretary Wang Yunkun
Governor Wang Min
Area 187,400 km² (13th)
Population (2004)
 - Density		 27,090,000 (21st)
145/km² (23rd)
GDP (2004)
 - per capita		 CNY 295.8 billion (20th)
CNY 10,900 (14th)
HDI (2005) 0.776 (10th) — medium
Major nationalities (2000) Han - 91%
Korean - 4%
Manchu - 4%
Mongol - 0.6%
Hui - 0.5%
Prefecture-level divisions 9
County-level divisions 60
Township-level divisions
(December 31, 2004)		 1006
ISO 3166-2 CN-22
Official website:
http://www.jl.gov.cn
(Simplified Chinese)
Source for population and GDP data:
《中国统计年鉴—2005》/ China Statistical Yearbook 2005 ISBN 7503747382
Source for nationalities data:
《2000年人口普查中国民族人口资料》/ Tabulation on nationalities of 2000 population census of China ISBN 7105054255

Jilin (help·info) (Chinese: 吉林; pinyin: Jílín; Wade-Giles: Chi-lin; Postal map spelling: Kirin; Manchu: Girin ula), is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west. The name was transliterated to Kirin before standardization to pinyin.

The name "Jilin" probably originates from Girin ula, a Manchu term meaning "along the river"; this was transcribed into Jilin wula (T: 吉林烏拉 / S: 吉林乌拉) in Chinese, then shorted to Jilin. The literal meaning of the Chinese characters for "Jilin" is "auspicious forest".

Contents

[edit] History

In ancient times Jilin was inhabited by various peoples, including the Mohe and the Wùjí (勿吉). The kingdom of Bohai (Balhae in Korean) was established in the area from 698 to 926 AD. The region then fell successively under the domination of the Khitan Liao Dynasty, the Jurchen Jin Dynasty, and the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty much of the area was under the control of the General of Jilin, whose area of control extended to the Sea of Japan to encompass much of what is Russia's Primorsky Krai today. Immigration of Han Chinese was strictly controlled.

However, after the Primorsky Krai area was ceded to Russia in 1860, the Qing government began to open the area up to Han Chinese migrants, most of whom came from Shandong. By the beginning of the 20th century Han Chinese had become the dominant ethnic group of the region. In 1932 the area was incorporated into Manchukuo, a puppet state set up by Japan, and Changchun (then called Hsinking), capital of Jilin today, was made the capital of Manchukuo. After the defeat of Japan in 1945 the region, together with the rest of northeastern China was handed to the communists by the Soviet Union. Manchuria was then the staging ground from which the communists eventually conquered the rest of China (see Chinese Civil War#Post-war power struggle (1945–1947)).

In 1949, Jilin province was smaller, encompassing only the environs of Changchun and Jilin City, and the capital was at Jilin City, while Changchun was a municipality independent from the province. In the 1950s Jilin was expanded to its present borders today. During the Cultural Revolution Jilin was expanded again to include a part of Inner Mongolia, giving it a border with the independent state of Mongolia, though this was later reversed. In recent times Jilin has, together with the rest of heavy industry-based Northeast China, been facing economic difficulties with privatization. This has prompted the central government to undertake a campaign called “Revitalize the Northeast”.

[edit] Geography

Jilin is highest in altitude in the southeast, and drops gently towards the northwest. The Changbai Mountains run through its southeastern regions, and contains the highest peak of the province, Baiyun Peak at 2691 m. Other mountain ranges include the Jilinhada Mountains, Zhang Guangcai Mountains, and Longgang Mountains.

Jilin is drained by the Yalu and Tumen Rivers in the extreme southwest (which together form the border between the People's Republic of China and North Korea), by tributaries of the Liao River along the southern border, and by the Songhua and Nen rivers, both eventually flowing into the Amur.

Jilin has a northerly continental monsoon climate, with long, cold winters and short, warm summers. Average January temperatures range from -20 to -14 °C. Rainfall averages at 350 - 1000 mm.

Major cities:

[edit] Administrative divisions

Jilin is made up of 8 prefecture-level cities and 1 autonomous prefecture.

For a complete list of the county-level divisions of Jilin, see List of administrative divisions of Jilin. These administrative divisions are explained in greater detail at Political divisions of China.

[edit] Economy

Jilin's agricultural production is centered upon rice, maize, and sorghum. Rice is mostly cultivated in the eastern parts, such as Yanbian prefecture. The Changbai Mountains are an important source of lumber. Herding of sheep is an important activity in the western parts, such as Baicheng prefecture-level city.

Compared to other provinces of China, Jilin has extensive deposits of Kieselguhr, wollastonite, floatstone, and molybdenum.

Industry in Jilin is concentrated on automobiles, train carriages, and iron alloy.

Jilin's nominal GDP for 2004 was 295.8 billion yuan (US$36.69 billion) and ranks 20th in the country. Its GDP per capita was 9,350 yuan (US$1,130).

[edit] Demographics

Jilin is inhabited by Han Chinese, Koreans, Manchus, Hui, Mongols and Xibe. Most ethnic Koreans live in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture.

Ethnic groups in Jilin, 2000 census
Nationality Population Percentage
Han Chinese 24,348,815 90.85%
Koreans 1,145,688 4.27%
Manchu 993,112 3.71%
Mongol 172,026 0.642%
Hui 125,620 0.469%

Excludes members of the People's Liberation Army in active service.
Source: Department of Population, Social, Science and Technology Statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics of China (国家统计局人口和社会科技统计司) and Department of Economic Development of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission of China (国家民族事务委员会经济发展司), eds. Tabulation on Nationalities of 2000 Population Census of China (《2000年人口普查中国民族人口资料》). 2 vols. Beijing: Nationalities Publishing House (民族出版社), 2003. (ISBN 7-105-05425-5)

[edit] Culture

Jilin's culture is part of a culture of Northeast China that is quite homogeneous across all of the northeastern China. In particular, Jiju, or Jilin Opera, is a form of traditional entertainment that Jilin has innovated over its short migrant history.

The ethnic Koreans of Jilin have their own distinct culture. See also: Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Culture of Korea.

[edit] Tourism

The Goguryeo sites and tombs found in Ji'an, Jilin, including Wandu, Guonei, and the pyramidal General's Tomb, have been listed as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Changbai Mountains, especially Lake Tianchi on the border with North Korea, are popular tourist destinations due to their natural scenery.

Ancient Tombs at Longtou Mountain, including the Mausoleum of Princess Zhenxiao, are royal tombs of the Balhae kingdom (Bohai in Chinese) found in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture.

[edit] Miscellaneous topics

[edit] Professional Sports Teams

[edit] Education

[edit] External links

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Province-level divisions administered by the People's Republic of China Flag of the People's Republic of China
Provinces: Anhui | Fujian | Gansu | Guangdong | Guizhou | Hainan | Hebei | Heilongjiang | Henan | Hubei | Hunan | Jiangsu | Jiangxi | Jilin | Liaoning | Qinghai | Shaanxi | Shandong | Shanxi | Sichuan | Taiwan (claimed) | Yunnan | Zhejiang
Autonomous Regions: Guangxi | Inner Mongolia | Ningxia | Tibet | Xinjiang
Municipalities: Beijing | Chongqing | Shanghai | Tianjin
Special administrative regions: Hong Kong | Macau
See also: Political status of Taiwan and Taiwan Province (People's Republic of China)
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