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Changchun at a glance
(CAWGOC)
Updated: 2007-01-25 10:11

General Information

Changchun City is situated at the heart of Songliao Plain in northeast China, and it's counties and districts located at 124'18" - 127'02" east longitude, 43'05" - 45'15" north latitude.

Changchun at a glance
The Jingyuetan National Forest Park

The total area of Changchun is 20,571 square kilometers, including municipal areas of 2,583 square kilometers, and the municipal constructed area is 159 square kilometers. The city is 250 - 350 meters above the sea level. The city stands at the center of the three northeast provinces, and at the crisscross point of the third east-westward "Europe-Asia Continental Bridge".

Topographic Features

Changchun area shows the variety of topographic features combining mountainous regions, mesas and plains, accounting for 9 per cent, 41 per cent and 50 per cent of total area.

Population

Upon the establishment of Chao'an County of Jia Qing Emperor on July 8, 1800, many immigrants settled down in Changchun. Therefore, the population has been increased since then.

Changchun at a glance
The Puppet Manchurian Imperial Palace

By 1911, the third year of Xuan Tong Emperor, the population of Changchun Fu, Yushu, Nongan, Dehui and Shuangyang was 591,000, 423,000, 432,000, 328,000 and 233,000 respectively.

Just before the "9.18" Event in 1931, the population of Changchun County, Yushu County, Nongan County, Dehui County and Shuangyang County recorded 478,000, 502,000, 318,000, 376,000 and 247,000.

China has so far carried out several national censuses since 1949. The outcome of the population of Changchun in each of the past censuses was:

The first national census in 1953: the total population was 3.163 million, including 1.70 million males and 1.54 million females, a sex ratio of 110:67 (males per 100 females)

The fifth national census in 2000: the total population was 7.14 million, including 3.65 million males and 3.49 million females, a sex ratio of 104:72 (males per 100 females). The population of urban citizens was 3.55 million, accounting for 49.79% of the total, and number of rural residents accounted for 50.21% totaling 3.59 million. Family size recorded 3.41 members averagely.

Changchun at a glance
The Changchun World Sculpture Park

The total number of the registered permanent residents reached 7.24 million at the end of 2004, including 3.15 million in Changchun City and 4.09 million in Changchun‘s four administrative areas. The birth rate, death rate and natural increase rate was 8.94%, 4.76% and 4.17% respectively.

The population density of Changchun is 368 persons per square kilometer. Of the urban areas, Nan'guan District registered the highest rate of 2388 persons per square kilometer, while other counties (cities) recorded relatively lower, of which, Nongan only had 206 persons per square kilometer.

Ethnics

Changchun, a multi-ethnic region, has 46 minorities with a total population of 252,000(excluding Han), accounting for 3.53% of the total population. They are: Manchu, 143,000, accounting for 56.72%; Korean, 496,000, 19.67%; Hui, 437,000, 17.33%; Mongolian, 110,000, 4.4%; the rest, 1.88%.

There are 4 minority towns, 47 minority villages and 258 communities all over Changchun city.

Changchun at a glance
The Changchun Movie Wonderland

Climate

Changchun is known as the Spring City of the North due to its cozy climate characteristics.

Changchun, situated between the east humid mountainous region and west sub-dry plain, has a continental monsoon climate of a temperate region. The spring and autumn are short and the weather changes all the time. The summer is warm and humid. The winter is long, cold and dry. The four distinctive seasons make Changchun area a good location to research and exploit the nature.

Following is the average climate information of January and February from 2001 to 2005.

- Sunrise: 7:15; Sunset: 17:05

- Wind speed (m/s): 2.9(light breeze); wind direction: Southwesterly wind

- Average temperature (°C): -12

- Snowfall (mm): 7.7

- Number of Days with Grade-A Air: 83.1%

- Overcast and Sunny Days: Percentage of sunny days: 40.5%; Percentage of overcast days: 6.5%; Percentage of sunny to overcast days: 53%

Monsoon Climate

The special continental monsoon climate characteristics make the winter cold and dry, and summer rainy and hot. Temperature Changes distinctively in the four seasons, making the temperature lower in winter but higher in summer than that of the other regions at the same latitude.

Due to its transitional location, Changchun enjoys more sunshine and rain falls, thereby offering favorable climate for the local agriculture.

The whole year's average temperature is 4.8 degrees centigrade. The lowest temperature is -39.85 degrees centigrade and the highest 39.5 degree centigrade. In summer, the southeaster prevails. Its annual precipitation is in the range between 522 and 615 mm, with 60 per cent falling in summer. The average temperature in July is 23 degrees centigrade. In autumn, pleasant and mild weather may last for days combined with more conspicuous temperature changes and lower wind speed than those in spring.

History

Changchun is a new city with only about 200 years of history. In the year of 1800, Emperor Jiaqing of Qing Dynasty selected a small village on the east bank of the Yitong River and named it as "Changchun Ting", and in the year of 1889, it was promoted as "Changchun Fu".

In 1930, the Japanese imperialists invaded the Northeast China, established the Manchurian Public country, and selected Changchun as its capital. Later, they renamed Changchun as "Xinjing (new capital )" and made it suffered from this shameful history.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, especially since the reform and open door policy, great changes have taken place in Changchun for its construction development. Now Changchun has formed its own advantage and characteristics with very solid foundations in industry and agriculture, and prosperous commerce.

It is a very influential regional center city in China with high degree openness and advanced science and education. It is characterized as the automobile city, forest city, film city and city of science, technology and culture.