Things to do in Jílín
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Chángbái Shān
China's largest nature reserve, Chángbái Shān, covers 210,000 hectares of dense forest, straddling the China-North Korea border. At lower elevations, the forests are filled with white birch and Korean pines; above 2000m the landscape turns treeless and windy. Temperatures, too, can plunge from steamy at the reserve entrance to frigid at the summit. No matter how warm it is in the morning, sudden high winds, rain and dramatic drops in temperature are possible by afternoon.
In summer, tour buses bring day-trippers to the northern slope to pose for photos in front of the waterfall, gorge on eggs boiled in the natural hot springs, stampede up to Heaven Lake and rush down a…
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Heaven Lake
This two-million-year-old crater lake, 13km in circumference, sits at an altitude of 2194m and is surrounded by rock outcrops and 16 mountainous peaks. The highest, White Rock Peak (Báiyán Fēng), soars to 2749m and can be climbed if you have permits and are with a Chinese tour group. Legend has it that the lake is home to a large, but shy, beastie that has the magical power to blur any photo taken of him.
You can no longer hike to the lakeside area but may only enjoy the panoramic views from the crater lip.
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Waterfall
The road forks at the dàozhànkōu, with one branch climbing steeply to Heaven Lake, and the other leading past several hotels to the waterfall and hot springs. Erdaobai River runs off Heaven Lake, creating this rumbling 68m waterfall that is the source of the Songhua and Tumen Rivers.
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Underground Forest
Between the park entrance and the dàozhànkōu, about 12km from the north gate, this verdant forest is a pretty hiking spot. Following the trail for about 30 minutes leads to a crater filled in with trees.
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Bathhouse
On the path to the Heaven Lake waterfall, vendors boil eggs in the hot springs, and there's a bathhouse where you can soak in the odoriferous waters.
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Chángbái Shān Canyon
Filled with dramatic rock formations, the 70km-long, 200m-wide and 100m-deep canyon really deserves more fame, but it's tough to measure up against the lake. There's an easy 40-minute walk along a boardwalk that follows the canyon rim through the forest.
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Èrdào Shùndá Jiǎozi Chéng
From early morning till late evening, this family-run eatery is packed with locals. They breakfast on porridge and buns, then return later for handmade dumplings, hearty stews and whatever vegetables are fresh that day.
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White Rock Peak
The highest peak surrounding Heaven Lake is White Rock Peak (Báiyán Fēng), which soars to 2749m. Legend has it that the lake is home to a Loch Ness-style 'monster,' but you can see for yourself…
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Sōngjiānghé Restaurant Area
One block south of Sōngjiānghé's main square is a busy market lane. On the east side of Sōngjiānghé's main square, you'll find Sōngjiānghé restaurant area that has several small family-run restaurants.
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Dazheng Travel Agency
In Sōngjiānghé, arranges transportation and tours to the western slope.
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Yánbiān Xìnzǐ Fàndiàn
This place offers Korean classics such as shí guō bàn fàn (rice, vegetable and eggs served in a clay pot) and cold noodle dishes. Korean beers from Y10.
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Wandu Mountain City
The capital of the Koguryo kingdom in its early and middle period, this city was first built in AD 3 but was destroyed in the 3rd century. There's little left of the original buildings, but the layout has been cleared and it's still immensely enjoyable scrambling about the terraces and enjoying the views that surely must have been a deciding factor in establishing the capital here.
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Riverside Plaza
Where on earth did the budget come from to transform the formerly dour Jí'ān riverside into this dazzling new waterfront park? Miragelike, the park features stone fountains, landscaped gardens, cobbled walkways, carp pools, statues and riverside decks where you can view North Korea across the Yālù River. At night the stylish modern apartments surrounding the park light their rooftops, while a small lotus pond opens out to a wooden junk for visitors to row themselves out to. It's all terribly romantic – all the more so because completely unexpected.
The centrepiece of the park is the very sleek looking Jí'ān Museum , sporting a brown stone base and a glass top with …
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Jìngyuètán
This massive lakeside park on the southeast outskirts of Chángchūn encompasses over 90 sq km and is a most welcome break if you have to spend any time in the motor city. Established in 1934, it features well-tended gardens, pavilions, lookouts and a 20km round-the-lake bike path. Shuttle buses (Y10) take you to the dam, where you can catch boats (Y30 per trip). At the front gate there are bike rentals (Y20 per hour).
The easiest way to get here is to take the light rail from the station on Liaoning Lu (Y4, 55 minutes).
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Jiāngjūnfén (General's Tomb)
One of the largest pyramid-like structures in the region, the 12m-tall Jiāngjūnfén was built during the 4th century for a Koguryo ruler; a smaller tomb 100m nearby on the same site is the resting place of a family member. The site is set among the hills 4km northeast of town.
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Imperial Palace of Manchu State (Puppet Emperor's Palace)
Chángchūn's main attraction is the former residence of Puyi, who was the Qing dynasty's final emperor. His story was the basis for the 1987 Bernardo Bertolucci film The Last Emperor.
In 1908, at age two, Puyi became the 10th Qing emperor. His reign lasted just over three years, but he was allowed to remain in the Forbidden City until 1924. Subsequently, he lived in Tiānjīn until 1932, when the Japanese installed him at this palace as the 'puppet emperor' of Manchukuo. After Japan's defeat in 1945, Puyi was captured by Russian troops. In 1950 he was returned to China, where he spent 10 years in a re-education camp before ending his days as a gardener in Běijīng. Puyi died…
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Hǎotàiwáng Stele
Inscribed with 1775 Chinese characters, the Hǎotàiwáng Stele, a 6m-tall stone slab that dates to AD 415, records the accomplishments of Koguryo king Tan De (AD 374–412), known as Hǎotàiwáng. Tan De's tomb (labelled 'Tàiwáng Tomb') is on the same site, and you can enter and see the stone burial slabs.
The stele and tomb are quite close to Jiāngjūnfén.
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Giant Cairns
Down on the plains, on a large shelf above the river is Jí'ān's largest collection of giant stone cairns. Erected after the destruction of the city, the group is so far unaffected by tourists or tourism infrastructure. It's another beautiful area and the sight of these massive rock piles in fields of Spanish needle (bidens pilosa) is probably the most photogenic in all Jí'ān.
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French Bakery
With its wood-panelled design, laid-back atmosphere, good coffee (Y15) and Western dishes (mains from Y30), this is an unusual find in Chángchūn. Try the huge, filling breakfast omelettes (from Y25) to start your day.
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Cemetery of Noblemen at Yushan
In this small gated park the stone crypts of various noblemen are open for visitors, though the only one you could actually enter at the time of writing was Tomb No 5 (wait for the guard to take you). It's a creepy descent underground into the chilly stone chamber, but as your eyes adjust to the light there are some intriguing wall paintings to behold.
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Bānruò Temple
One of the largest Buddhist temples in the northeast, Bānruò is a lively place of worship for locals and pilgrims alike. Wander around the temple back alleys and you'll find merchants selling any number of charms, statues, shrines and incense. This religious entrepreneurial spirit is as interesting to observe as the more faith based.
To get here take bus 6 (10 minutes) from Renmin Dajie across from the main bus station and get off at Renmin Guangchang (Renmin Sq). You can also walk from the train-station area in about 30 minutes. The temple was closed at the time of writing but should be reopen by the time you read this.
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