Changchun
Changchun (UK: /tʃæŋˈtʃʊn/, US: /tʃɑːŋ-/; Chinese: 长春) is the capital and largest city of Jilin Province in China. Lying in the center of the Songliao Plain, Changchun is administered as a sub-provincial city, comprising 7 districts, 1 county and 3 county-level cities. According to the 2020 census of China, Changchun had a total population of 9,066,906 under its jurisdiction. The city's metro area, comprising 5 districts and 1 development area, had a population of 5,019,477 in 2020, as the Shuangyang and Jiutai districts are not urbanized yet. It is one of the biggest cities in Northeast China, along with Shenyang, Dalian and Harbin.
Changchun
长春市 | |
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Clockwise from top: panoramic view from Shengtai Plaza, panoramic view of Ji Tower, Former Manchukuo State Department, Statue on cultural square, Changchun Christian Church, Soviet martyr monument. | |
| Nickname: 北国春城 (Spring City of the Northern Country) | |
Location of Changchun City (yellow) in Jilin (light grey) and China | |
Changchun Location of the city centre in Jilin Changchun Changchun (China) | |
| Coordinates (Jilin People's Government): 43°53′49″N 125°19′34″E | |
| Country | China |
| Province | Jilin |
| County-level divisions | 7 districts 2 county-level divisions 1 county |
| Incorporated (town) | 1889 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1932 |
| Municipal seat | Nanguan District |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sub-provincial city |
| • Body | Changchun Municipal People's Congress |
| • CCP Secretary | vacant as of March 2021 |
| • Congress Chairman | Wang Zhihou |
| • Mayor | Zhang Zhijun |
| • CPPCC Chairman | Qi Yuanfang |
| Area | |
| • Prefecture-level & Sub-provincial city | 24,734 km2 (9,550 sq mi) |
| • Urban (2017) | 1,855.00 km2 (716.22 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 1,855.00 km2 (716.22 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 222 m (730 ft) |
| Population (2020 census) | |
| • Prefecture-level & Sub-provincial city | 9,066,906 |
| • Density | 370/km2 (950/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 5,691,024 |
| • Urban density | 3,100/km2 (7,900/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 5,019,477 |
| • Metro density | 2,700/km2 (7,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Postal code | 130000 |
| Area code | 0431 |
| ISO 3166 code | CN-JL-01 |
| License plate prefixes | 吉A |
| GDP (2017) | CNY 653.0 billion |
| - per capita | CNY 86,931 |
| Website | www.changchun.gov.cn |
| Changchun | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"Changchun" in Simplified Chinese characters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 长春 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 長春 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Chángchūn | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Long Spring" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Hsinking | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 新京 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Xīnjīng | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | New Capital | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Manchu name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manchu script | ᠴᠠᠨᡤᠴᠣᠨ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Romanization | Cangcon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The name of the city means "long spring" in Chinese. Between 1932 and 1945, Changchun was renamed Xinjing (Chinese: 新京; pinyin: Xīnjīng; lit. 'new capital') or Hsinking by the Kwantung Army as it became the capital of the Imperial Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo, occupying modern Northeast China. After the foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Changchun was established as the provincial capital of Jilin in 1954.
Known locally as China's "City of Automobiles", Changchun is an important industrial base with a particular focus on the automotive sector. Because of its key role in the domestic automobile industry, Changchun was sometimes referred to as the "Detroit of China." Apart from this industrial aspect, Changchun is also one of four "National Garden Cities" awarded by the Ministry of Construction of P.R. China in 2001 due to its high urban greening rate.
Changchun is also one of the top 40 cities in the world by scientific research as tracked by the Nature Index according to the Nature Index 2020 Science Cities. The city is home to several major universities, notably Jilin University and Northeast Normal University, members of China's prestigious universities in the Double First Class University Plan.