"Capital of Manchuria" a Changchun Travel Page by ahoerner

It all began as a 30-day business trip in January 2004... tight schedule, lots of work and almost no time to travel around, so I’ve focused in knowing Changchun in my free time. I knew however I would have enough time to know the city and even the country since I was going to move here sometime in the next months.

I arrived in Beijing just five days before the Spring Festival, what was actually good I first thought. After arriving the first impression was that half of all Chinese were also travelling somewhere, and a great number of them were in that airport! As result of the crowded mess during my arrival I lost my connecting flight. Well, the story that follows can be shortened so: after arranging some details with my company, I stayed in Beijing one night to take the first flight to Dalian (Liaoning province) where someone would pick me up and put me in either the next flight or the next train to somewhere else, and sometime later that week I would finally arrive in Changchun. Of course, there is no need to tell that I was half enjoying that “tour” and half terrified by my first impressions on China.

Fortunately all went fine and as my flight landed in Dalian I was picked up and taken to the train station, where I took the next train to Shenyiang. Four calm hours through Chinese countryside landscapes and we arrived in Shenyang at about 16h. It was almost dark. And next?

I was then picked up by one Brazilian friend and his Chinese mate. We had now three and a half hours by car ahead of us to Changchun. Local temperature was -15C. I could then feel the bitter Chinese winter.

Around 20h15 we arrived in Changchun. Silent city, almost no one on the streets. Local temperature was -22C (-8F). I wouldn’t be walking around as well. I was exhausted and just willing for a bath and a bed, and some well deserved sleep hours.

Thirty days was all I had to "feel" the city and understand China, to me a "brand new world". Along with some new friends I discovered the beauties and contrasts of this city in northeast China.

Cold winter but warm people. This is Changchun. In the inland of northeast China, near Gobi desert and Inner Mongolia and getting all influence of the Siberian climate, winter here can be tough. Specially if your are not used to such temperature levels.

Leaving Brazil in a mid Summer day with around 32C (90F) and humidity and getting to Changchun with -22C and dry (-8F) was not my dream trip. It was really hard at the beginning to get used to this temperatures but it is only a matter of time.

One of the many pictures taken around Changchun, this was taken during a ride around the city near the FAW automotive plant. The whole district belongs to the company. It was taken during a quick step-out of the car on chilly -17C (1,5F)...

During winter streets are paved with ice after the snow falls. Driving can be tricky. The Siberian north wind cuts like blade. It does not snow too much due to the low humidity, but cold begins on late October and lasts until early April. And during November and March temperature never rises above 0C (32F). Last and this winter we experienced -28C(-19F).

There are plenty of winter sports spots around the city, from skiing in the Moon Lake Park and other sites to skating on the frozen surface of Nanhu (South Lake).

A simply walk in Changchun can provide you with great snapshots, like Chinese elders gathering in a park to practice taichichuan or to play mahjong.

Spring begins and the colourful nature shows itself quickly. The city parks get coloured overnight as if the spring never left the city of never ending spring (translation for Changchun).

More of this you can find on Webshots