Cultural centre · Border city · Jilin
Yanji
延吉
Capital of Yanbian, centre of Korean culture in China
Yanji is a county-level city and the seat of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in eastern Jilin, close to the borders with North Korea and Russia. It is the cultural centre of China's ethnic Koreans, with bilingual signs, Korean food and Yanbian University, and the usual gateway to the northern side of Changbai Mountain.
Key facts
Overview
Yanji sits in a basin on the Buerhatong River, a tributary of the Tumen, in the hills of the Yanbian prefecture. Korean settlers began farming the valleys in the second half of the nineteenth century, and the town became the administrative centre of the region. Since 1952 it has been the capital of Korean autonomy in China.
Korean is used alongside Chinese in schools, the media and public signs, and the city's restaurants, markets and night-time barbecue streets draw visitors from across China. Yanji is also the base for trips to Changbai Mountain and to the border towns of Tumen, Longjing and Hunchun.
Names and nicknames
局子街
“bureau street”
The town's early name, after the Qing administrative bureau around which it grew.
History
The region was part of the Bohai kingdom and later a Qing hunting reserve closed to settlement. From the 1860s famine and opportunity brought Korean farmers across the Tumen, and in 1902 the Qing established Yanji as an administrative centre. During the Japanese period the area was a base of the Korean independence movement and of anti-Japanese guerrillas. The Yanbian Korean Autonomous Region was created in 1952 and became an autonomous prefecture in 1955.
1860s–1880s
Korean settlement
Korean farmers crossed the Tumen and opened the valleys to rice cultivation.
1902
Yanji administration founded
The Qing created an administrative seat for the growing population of the region.
1949
Yanbian University founded
The first university of the Korean community in China, teaching in Korean and Chinese.
3 September 1952
Korean autonomy
The Yanbian Korean Autonomous Region was established with Yanji as its capital; the anniversary is a public holiday in the prefecture.
Landmarks
Museum
Yanbian Museum
延边博物馆
Museum of the history and folk culture of the Korean community.
Historic site
China Korean Folk Park
中国朝鲜族民俗园
Park of traditional Korean houses on the city's northern edge, with food and craft demonstrations.
Nature
Mao'er Mountain
帽儿山
Forested hill park overlooking the city.
Modern landmark
Yanbian University
延边大学
The university whose Korean-language signage opposite the campus is a well-known photo spot.
Neighbourhoods
Riverside morning market
水上市场
Market by the Buerhatong River selling kimchi, rice cakes and fresh produce.
Food
Cold noodles
冷面
Buckwheat noodles in chilled beef broth, eaten all year.
Stone-pot bibimbap
石锅拌饭
Rice with vegetables, beef and chilli paste in a hot stone bowl.
Rice sausage
米肠
Sausage filled with glutinous rice and pig's blood.
Yanji barbecue skewers
延吉烤串
Small skewers of beef and mutton grilled at the table, the city's night-time food.
Culture
Yanji is the centre of Korean-Chinese culture: newspapers, broadcasting and publishing in Korean, the farmers' dance inscribed by UNESCO, long-drum dancing, swing and see-saw contests at festivals, and a strong emphasis on education. Everyday food, from kimchi and rice cakes to barbecue, follows the cooking of the Korean peninsula.
Getting around
- Yanji West is the high-speed station on the line from Changchun and Jilin city to Hunchun.
- Yanji Chaoyangchuan International Airport has flights to Chinese cities and South Korea.
- Buses and hired cars reach Changbai Mountain's northern and western entrances.
Day trips
Changbai Mountain
长白山
Volcano with the crater lake Tianchi on the North Korean border, reached via Erdaobaihe.
Fangchuan (Hunchun)
防川
Viewpoint at the end of Chinese territory on the Tumen, overlooking Russia and North Korea near the sea.
Longjing
龙井
Nearby town associated with the Korean poet Yun Dong-ju, born in a village here in 1917.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture People's Government — Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Intangible Cultural Heritage: China — UNESCO (retrieved 27 September 2026)
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