Overview

Jilin has one world cultural heritage (Capital Cities and Tomes of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom), two famous national historical and cultural cities (Jilin and Ji’an), seventy-six national key cultural heritage protection units, one intangible cultural heritage included in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (Farmers’ dance of China’s Korean ethnic group), and 391 provincial cultural heritage protection units.

--Capital Cities and Tomes of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom

Ji’an, located in the middle reach of the Yalu River, is famous for rich historical and cultural relics from the era of Koguryo. Among regimes established by ethnic minorities in north China, Koguryo survived for the longest time from 37 B.C. to 688 A.D. with 28 rulers. For about 425 years of its whole 705 years, the regime took Ji’an as its capital. Therefore, as a center of the kingdom’s politics, economy and culture, Ji’an is left with many relics. The year 2004 witnessed that capital cities and tomes of the ancient Koguryo Kingdom was listed as a World Cultural Heritage.

The scenic area is notable for the magnificent “Haotaiwang Stele”, the imposing imperial tomb of Changshouwang (also called the Oriental Pyramid), the distinctive Wandu Capital City and the stunning frescos inside the No. 5 tomb of the Wukui Mausoleum (called an art treasure of Northeast Asia). These relics demonstrate the distinctive, brilliant and creative civilization of the ancient kingdom. Besides, these relics enable the Koguryo scenic area to rank No. 2 among Jilin’s top eight tourist spots in 2009.

Situated at the intersection of Jianshe Street and Yunshui Street, Ji’an Museum remains the first to focus on the Koguryo culture and history within and beyond China. The museum is built in the shape of a lotus with eight petals, reflecting China’s traditional theory related to geomancy and Koguryo’s preference for lotus and stone. Anyone with a desire to know the Koguryo culture and history should come to this museum to enjoy its more than 1000 pieces of historic relics.

-- Farmers’ dance of China’s Korean ethnic group

Farmers’ dance of China’s Korean ethnic group was inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Gathering in fields or villages during community festivals, members of the Korean ethnic group in Jilin and other provinces in northeastern China offer a traditional sacrifice to the God of the Land to pay homage to nature and pray for good fortune and a plentiful harvest. This is the beginning of the farmers’ dance of China’s Korean ethnic group, a popular folk practice passed on by senior members of a community to younger generations. Musicians play oboe-like ''suona,'' bell-shaped gongs and a variety of drums, while masked or unmasked dancers move farcically to the accompaniment. The dance is inspired by the motions of farming, which it imitates through gestures such as ‘walking the field ridges’.

Jilin City- a famous national historical and cultural city

Jilin is the only Chinese city that has the same name as the province it is in. It is an excellent tourist city, a famous national historical and cultural city, a national garden city and a China Glamorous City. In 2010, it was selected as one of the top 10 recreational cities in China. The total area of the city is 27,120 square km. It has four districts – Chuanying, Changyi, Longtan and Fengman, four county-level cities – Shulan, Panshi, Jiaohe and Huadian, Yongji County, a state-level hi-tech industrial development zone and a state-level economic and technological development zone.

It has a total population of 4.5 million people, 2 million of whom are urban residents. There are 35 minority ethnic groups in the city, including Manchu, Korean and Hui.

By 2013, there are 18 scenic spots above A level. Of them, four are AAAA level, three are AAA level, 10 are AA level and one is A level.

Ji’an - a famous national historical and cultural city

Ji’an, located in the middle reach of the Yalu River, is famous for rich historical and cultural relics from the era of Koguryo. Among regimes established by ethnic minorities in north China, Koguryo survived for the longest time from 37 B.C. to 688 A.D. with 28 rulers. For about 425 years of its whole 705 years, the regime took Ji’an as its capital. Therefore, as a center of the kingdom’s politics, economy and culture, Ji’an is left with many relics. The year 2004 witnessed that capital cities and tomes of the ancient Koguryo Kingdom was listed as a World Cultural Heritage.