Historic city · Industrial centre · Scenic area · Jilin
Jilin City
吉林市
The old capital on the Songhua, city of rime ice
Jilin City is the second city of Jilin province and gave the province its name; it was the regional capital under the Qing and the provincial capital until 1954. Built along a bend of the Songhua River, it is known for the rime ice that coats its riverside trees in winter, for nearby ski resorts and for its petrochemical industry.
Key facts
Overview
Jilin City lies in a basin where the Songhua River leaves the eastern mountains. The Qing founded a shipyard here in 1661 to build river craft against Russian incursions on the Amur, then a fortress in 1673, and the city became the seat of the military governor of Jilin. Its Manchu name, Girin Ula, “along the river”, gave the province its name.
The Fengman dam upstream, begun under Japanese rule in the 1930s, created Songhua Lake and powers industry; the relatively warm water released from it keeps the river open in winter, and the mist it produces freezes on the willows as rime ice. The city is also a centre of petrochemicals and a base for skiing at Beidahu and Songhua Lake.
Names and nicknames
江城
“river city”
From the Songhua, which curves through the city in an S-shape.
船厂
“the shipyard”
From the Qing naval yard founded here in 1661.
History
The area was part of the Buyeo and Bohai realms and later of the Jurchen homeland. Under the Qing it was the chief town of the Northeast's interior, with a shipyard, a garrison and a Manchu military governor. It served as provincial capital until 1954. On 8 March 1976 a large meteorite shower fell near the city.
1661
Qing shipyard
Boats built here supplied the Qing campaigns against Russian forts on the Amur in the 1680s.
1673
Jilin fortress built
The walled town became the seat of the Qing military governor of Jilin.
1937–1943
Fengman dam
Built under Japanese control to generate power; completed and rebuilt after 1949, it formed Songhua Lake.
1954
Capital moves to Changchun
Jilin City remained the province's second city and its petrochemical centre.
8 March 1976
Jilin meteorite shower
Hundreds of fragments fell across the area; the largest, of about 1.7 tonnes, is in the city's meteorite museum.
Landmarks
Nature
Songhua riverside rime ice
吉林雾凇
Frost-covered willows along the river on cold, still winter mornings; Wusong Island downstream is a favoured viewing spot.
Temple or shrine
Beishan Park
北山公园
Hill park with Buddhist, Daoist and Confucian temples overlooking the city.
Temple or shrine
Jilin Catholic Church
吉林天主教堂
Gothic Revival church by the river, completed in the 1920s.
Historic site
Jilin Confucian Temple
吉林文庙
Qing Confucian temple, one of the largest in the Northeast.
Museum
Jilin Meteorite Museum
吉林陨石博物馆
Displays the fragments of the 1976 fall, including its largest stone.
Nature
Songhua Lake
松花湖
Long reservoir in forested hills south-east of the city, with ski slopes on its shore.
Neighbourhoods
South bank
江南
Newer districts across the river from the old centre, linked by several bridges.
Wula Street
乌拉街
Manchu town north of the city, once the seat of the Ula tribe and a Qing tribute station.
Food
Pork and blood sausage
白肉血肠
The Manchu classic, served with pickled cabbage.
Songhua Lake fish
松花湖鱼
Freshwater fish from the lake, often stewed in an iron pot.
Manchu hotpot
满族火锅
Charcoal-heated pot with pickled cabbage, pork and blood sausage.
Culture
Jilin City's winter is its cultural season: rime-ice viewing, an ice and snow festival and skiing at Beidahu, which hosted events of the 2007 Asian Winter Games. The city keeps Manchu traditions in the old town of Wula Street and in villages where clan shamanic rites are still performed.
Getting around
- Jilin station is on the high-speed line from Changchun to Yanji and Hunchun.
- Changchun Longjia International Airport lies between the two cities.
- Beidahu and Songhua Lake ski areas are reached by road south-east of the city.
Day trips
Beidahu ski resort
北大湖滑雪场
One of the largest ski areas in the Northeast.
Wusong Island
雾凇岛
Village on a river island downstream where rime ice forms most reliably.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Jilin Municipal People's Government — Jilin Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Jilin Provincial People's Government — Jilin Provincial People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)