As I strolled down Hunan Street in Jilin City, the vibrant pulse of modern urban life was unmistakable. Yet, amidst the commercial highlights, one couldn’t overlook a historic gem—the century-old restaurant, Xinxing Garden. This popular eatery regularly sees long queues of eager diners, drawn in by its unique blend of antiquity and elegance. Intriguingly, it’s also home to Jilin City’s only privately-run museum—the Jilin Historical Museum.
Recently, the “Opportunities in China, Open Jilin” tour for overseas Chinese-language media kicked off, bringing representatives from over a dozen countries to explore the city’s rich history. Their journey included a visit to the museum, where they could truly appreciate the city’s unique historical imprint as they dove into the stories of this northern river city.
Jilin City, where the Songhua River meanders through, stands as a significant former industrial powerhouse of China. It’s noteworthy that the first barrel of dye and the first bag of fertilizer in New China were both produced here. The local industry once flourished, manufacturing products like fertilizers, bicycles, sugar, and paints that were distributed nationwide. A visit to the Jilin Historical Museum transports visitors back in time through artifacts such as soda produced by the local brewery, lunch boxes and basins crafted from aluminum, as well as kettles and matches that echo the area’s industrial past.
Museums serve as a city’s calling card, encapsulating its history and civilization. In recent years, Jilin City has made strides in tapping into its historical and cultural resources, using museums as a focal point for reform in cultural preservation and heritage utilization, and striving to develop itself into a “city of museums” rich with local cultural identity.
At the site of the former Jilin Machinery Bureau, our group explored four sections of an exhibition titled “Difficult Times”, “The Contributions of History”, “Taking Inspiration”, and “Passing the Torch”, which together created a comprehensive narrative of the evolution of Jilin City’s industrial development. A guide emphasized, “The establishment of the Jilin Machinery Bureau marked the beginning of a new chapter in modern industry for Northeast China.” Indeed, this location played an irreplaceable role in the foundation and growth of industry in the region.
Jilin City is also notable for being the site of a remarkable cosmic event. On March 8, 1976, the largest meteor shower in history fell over a 500-square-kilometer area in Jilin City, creating a booming sound that could be heard from miles away.
At the Jilin Meteorite Museum, visitors enter a blue-hued “time tunnel” that evokes the phrase “the stars within reach.” In the meteorite display area, many were spellbound by the world’s largest stone meteorite, marveling at the wonders of the Jilin meteor shower and the mysteries of the cosmos.
During their time in Jilin City, international Chinese-language media representatives also explored the Jilin Manchu Museum to gain insights into the origins and evolution of Manchu culture.
Jilin City is diligently working towards establishing itself as a “city of museums,” showcasing profound historical depth and cultural confidence, leaving a lasting impression on the visiting media. As the integration of cultural and tourism development becomes a vital engine for economic growth, the prospects for Jilin City as the “Northern River City” certainly look promising.
