Changchun

Changchun
长春市
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 / 43.897°N 125.326°E / 43.897; 125.326
CountryChina
ProvinceJilin
County-level divisions7 districts
2 county-level divisions
1 county
Incorporated (town)1889
Incorporated (city)1932
Municipal seatNanguan District
Government
  TypeSub-provincial city
  BodyChangchun Municipal People's Congress
  CCP Secretaryvacant as of March 2021
  Congress ChairmanWang Zhihou
  MayorZhang Zhijun
  CPPCC ChairmanQi Yuanfang
Area
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)
9,066,906
  Density370/km2 (950/sq mi)
  Urban
5,691,024
  Urban density3,100/km2 (7,900/sq mi)
  Metro
5,019,477
  Metro density2,700/km2 (7,000/sq mi)
GDP
  Prefecture-level & Sub-provincial cityCN¥ 763 billion
US$ 107.2 billion
  Per capitaCN¥ 84,175
US$ 11,820
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code
130000
Area code0431
ISO 3166 codeCN-JL-01
License plate prefixes吉A
Websitewww.changchun.gov.cn
Changchun
"Changchun" in Simplified Chinese characters
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese长春
Traditional Chinese長春
Hanyu PinyinChángchūn
Literal meaning"Long Spring"
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinChángchūn
Bopomofoㄔㄤˊ   ㄔㄨㄣ
Gwoyeu RomatzyhCharngchuen
Wade–GilesChʻang2-chʻun1
IPA[ʈʂʰǎŋ.ʈʂʰwə́n]
Wu
SuzhouneseZan-tshen
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationChèuhng-chēun
JyutpingCoeng4-ceon1
IPA[tsʰœŋ˩.tsʰɵn˥]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJTiông-chhun
Hsinking
Chinese
Hanyu PinyinXīnjīng
Literal meaningNew Capital
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXīnjīng
Bopomofoㄒㄧㄣ   ㄐㄧㄥ
Gwoyeu RomatzyhShinjing
Wade–GilesHsin1-ching1
Yale RomanizationSyīnjīng
Manchu name
Manchu scriptᠴᠠᠨᡤᠴᠣᠨ
RomanizationCangcon

Changchun is the capital and largest city of Jilin Province, China, on the Songliao Plain. Changchun is administered as a sub-provincial city, comprising seven districts, one county and three county-level cities. At the 2020 census of China, Changchun had a population of 9,066,906; its metro area, comprising five districts and one development area, had a population of 5,019,477. Shuangyang and Jiutai districts are not urbanized yet. It is one of the biggest cities in Northeast China, along with Shenyang, Dalian and Harbin.

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 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". The FAW Group, one of the "Big Four" state-owned car manufacturers of China, is headquartered in the city. 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 30 cities in the world by scientific research as tracked by the Nature Index according to the Nature Index 2024 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 Construction.