Yanbian Overview

Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture is situated in east of Jilin Province in the Northeast China, on the border between China and North Korea.You can appreciate marvelous natural sceneries and enjoy unique Korean culture in this place.Here will give you some information about Yanji.

Basic Information

  • Chinese Name: 延边朝鲜族自治州
  • Location: Northeast of Jilin Province
  • Government Seat: Yanji City
  • Area: About 43,509 square kilometers
  • Population: An approximate population of 2101400
  • Minorities: Korean, Manchu, Hui, ect.
  • Language: Northeastern Mandarin and Korean
  • Airport: Yanji Chaoyangchuan International Airport
  • University: Yanbian University
  • Railway Stations: Yanji Railway Station, Yanjixi Railway Station, Tumen Railway Station, Dunhua Railway Station
  • Famous Attractions: Liuding Mountain Cultural Tourism Zone, Yanbian Eight Sights, Fangchuan Village, etc.

Geography

Standing in the eastern part of Jilin, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture is located at the junction of China, North Korea and Russia, facing the Sea of Japan. It borders seaside of Russia in the east, Jiliin City in the west, and Mudanjiang City of Heilongjiang Province in the north. And in the south, Yanbian is separated from North Korea by Tumen River. Yanbian owns 5 frontier counties (cities) and 642 frontier villages. The whole length of border line is 768.5 kilometers, the border between China and North Korea is 522.5 kilometers, and the border between China and Russia is 246 kilometers. Yanbian owns an area of 43,300 square kilometers, accounting for 25% of total area of Jilin Province.

Climate

Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture belongs to temperate humid monsoon climate, so the spring of Yanbian is dry and windy, summer is tepid and rainy, autumn is cool and drippy, and winter is long and cold. The rainy season of Yanbian is from June to August. The average temperature is from 2 to 6℃; the extremely lowest temperature is from -23℃ to -38℃, and the extremely highest temperature is from 34℃to 38℃.The average precipitation in Yanbian is about 400-800 mm, and in Changbai Mountain, the rainfall is from 1000-1500 mm, which tops the list of Jilin province.

Best Time to Visit

You can travel to Yanbian at anytime you want, because there are always beautiful landscapes and things to do in four seasons. The best visit time is from June to September, when the weather is cool and pleasant. But June to August is the rainy season in Yanbian, so if you don’t want too many rainy days, you could choose other time to visit.

Administrative Divisions

Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture has jurisdiction over 6 county-level cities, 2 counties, and 1 provincial Changbai Mountain tourism economic development zone (Erdaobaihe Town of Autu County) and 1 provincial economic development zone in Dunhua. 

Culture

Up to 2010, there have been than 20 ethnic groups in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, including Korean, Han, Manchu, Hui, and other ethnic groups.The Korean ethnic group has the population of 820 thousand, accounting for 37.7%, Han 59.29% and other ethnic groups including Manchu and Hui 3.01%.Despite those traditional ones, there are many other festivals and activities such as Seniors’ Day (老人节)Liutou Festival(流头节), Kaishan Festival (开山节), Wrestling (摔跤), and Springboard Playing (跳板) in Yanbian that will show you the unique culture and life of Yanbian people.

Transportation

Yanbian, an important tourist spot in Jilin, offers you many ways to get there, including aviation, railway, and highway. You can take plane to the main city of Yanbian, and then take trains to surrounding cities like Tumen, Hunchun, and Helong. And coaches can take you to some landscapes such as Changbai Mountain, Tumen River, and ski resorts.

Accommodation

With the fast growth of Yanbian’s tourism, its accommodation conditions are well improved. Now there are different sizes of hotels for travelers to choose according their needs, including luxury hotels and economic hotels. You can also choose hotels near the scenic spots for the convenience of sightseeing, or choose hotels near railway, bus stations or airport so that it is convenient for your travel.

Things to Do in Yanbian

Changbai Mountain

Changbai Mountain, situated in Antu County in Yanbian Prefecture, is one of the ten most famous mountains in China. It is the birthplace of the Manchus in China and the holy mountain of Manchu culture. There are many splendid landscapes in Changbai Mountain, including the beautiful Changbai Mountain Pool in the Sky, which is also the highest and largest alpine lake in China and the headstream of the Songhua River, the Yalu River and the Tumen River. 

Liuding Mountain Cultural Tourism Area

In the southern suburbs of Dunhua City lies Liuding Mountain Cultural Tourism Area. It is a 5A tourist area that integrates Bohai Culture, Buddhist Culture, and the ancestral culture of Qing Dynasty. One of its most famous spots is Jinding Buddha statute (金鼎大佛) which is the highest bronze statue of sitting Sakyamuni in the world.

Fangchuan Village

Fangchuan Village, the "NO.1 village in the east of China", is situated in the south part of Hunchun City. It is a pure Korean village in Jilin Province, so in here you can enjoy the Korean traditions and customs. And it is also a good place for you to study Korean culture.  

Tumen Border Port

Tumen Border Port is the second largest land port that connects China with North Korea, which handles about 200 thousand tons’ freight a year. It is located beside the Tumen River in Tumen City.  With a history of more than a century, this border port is the oldest land port in the province.

Natural Resources

Mineral Resources

93 minerals have been found in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture. Among those minerals, 10 of them are energy minerals, 33 metal minerals, 48 nonmetal minerals, and 2 groundwater and gas minerals. The petroleum resources of Yanbian Prefecture are mainly in Yanji Basin. This basin, situated in the Daqing Prospect, is a small basin which owns abundant oil and gas resources.

Animal Resources

Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture has 367 terrestrial wild animals, and 60 wild animals are enlisted as protected species in China. Among them, there are 63 mammal animals, and 4 of them are National class I protected animals, namely tiger, leopard, martes zibellina and sika deer; there are 275 birds, and 7 of them are National class I protected animals, including Mergus squamatus, white stork, black stork, Aquila chrysaetos, Haliaeetus albcilla, Haliaeetus pelagicus and Grus japonensis. And there are 13 amphibians and 16 reptiles.

Plant Resources

There are 3890 wild plants in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture. 2 of them are National class I protected wild plants, which are Takenouchi and Taxus chinensis; and 9 National class II rotected wild plants, such as Pinus koraiensis Sieb, and Northeast Chian Ash. Among all wild plants, there are 270 lichens, 350 mosses, 140 ferns, over 30 gymnosperms, 2200 angiosperms, 350 edible mashrooms, 150 wild vegetables, more than 20 fruits, and so on.

Yanbian Art Theatre

Yanbian Art Theatre

Yanbian Art Theatre is one of the Best Tourist Attractions and Top Things to Do in Yanbian, it introduces the main attractions, entrance tickets booking, The best time to...

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History of Yanbian

History of Yanbian

In the Ming Dynasty, Yanbian was governed by the Jianzhou Guard, and in the late Qing Dynasty the area was divided into the Yanji and Hunchun subprefectures. From 1644...

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