Changchun

Changchun

　　Located in the very center of the Dongbei Plain, Changchun is one of the few cities in China that boasts a sizeable minority population including Manchurians, Muslims, Mongolians, Xibao and Zhuang. The city began its life in 1800 as a major granary in the north due to its unparalleled fertile soil. Within a quarter of a century, it quickly gained its fame as the rice and soy producing city of Asia.
　　The city lay in peace throughout the 19th century until it began to be disturbed with the collapse of the Qing Dynasty. In 1924, the last and already deposed emperor, Puyi, moved to Changchun by order of, and for protection under, the expanding and ambitious Japanese. Changchun remained the capital of the Japanese Manchukuo state from around 1932 until 1945. It was not until after the liberation that this situation was officially put to an end. Puyi was thrown into prison.
　　In recent years the city has grown, concentrating on major primary industries. After the communists came in to office in 1950, they initiated a bold plan to transform the city into a major industrial base, with the helping hand of the Soviets. The discovery of large oil and gas reserves in the late 1950s gave the city the added boost that it needed to carry its modernisation into the twenty first century. With such a thriving environment the city began to churn out a variety of goods. Most notable were films from the propaganda machine, the Changchun Film Studio, and the automobile industry, with Liberation Trucks heading towards Korea, and "red flag" Limousines heading for Beijing’s Zhongnanhai (the leadership compound). Today, cars running on the road of Changchun are mainly Golf, Santana, and Audi, thanks to the establishment of a Sino-German joint venture.
　　It is not industry that brings tourists to the city, however, but a variety of other factors, mainly related to the cities pleasant scenery, its history or its skiing. The city is a town planners dream of straight roads, well-spaced parks and some large squares (including the world’s second largest, the Culture Square). It has a tree coverage of 40 per cent. In terms of history the city is best known for its role in the war and Puyi’s Palace is easily the cities most enjoyable sight. For more excitement, the snowy slopes of Jingyuetan are a good way to enjoy the cold.