Stand on Xinmin Dajie in the Chaoyang District and the city's twentieth-century story lines both sides of the street: heavy stone government buildings from the Manchukuo years, now hospitals and university faculties, with traffic moving between them. Changchun is a city you read through its architecture and its museums rather than through a single famous view.
It suits travellers interested in modern Chinese history, industrial heritage and film, and anyone using the city as a base in Northeast China. This guide covers the historical sites, museums and squares named in the source material, with practical notes on how to fit them together.
Top things to do in Changchun
1. Museum of the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo
This is the former home of Puyi, the last emperor of China and puppet emperor of Manchukuo, and the centre of the Manchukuo administration. The grounds have been restored since the site was used as a factory during the Cultural Revolution, and scenes from the 1987 film The Last Emperor were filmed here. Signage is available in English and Japanese, though many artifact descriptions are in Chinese only.
It sits at 5 Guangfu North Road in Kuancheng District, a short distance from Weihuanggong Station on Metro Line 4. In the May 1 to September 30 period it is open 08:30–17:20, with no tickets sold after 16:10; from October 1 to April 30 it is open 08:30–16:50, with no tickets sold after 15:40. An audio tour rental is ¥40 with a ¥100 deposit, and English tour guides are available for ¥240.
2. Museum of Former Changchun Film Studio Site
For lovers of Chinese movies and the history of the Chinese film industry, this site at 1118 Hongqi Street in Chaoyang District covers the Manchukuo Film Studio, which operated from July 1937 to July 1945, and the Changchun Film Studio that followed as the PRC's first film studio. Summer hours are 09:00–17:00 and winter hours 09:00–16:30, with the ticket office closing one hour before the museum.
It is about 1 km southeast of Huxiqiao Station on Metro Line 3, and a number of bus routes also serve it. Pair it with the surrounding Hongqi Street area rather than trying to reach it between distant stops.
3. The 8 Puppet Manchukuo Government Departments
Around 1936 the puppet Manchukuo government built its capital with several important government departments in what is now Changchun's Chaoyang District. Eight of them remain, now used for other purposes. Visitors usually cannot get inside, but it is still worth looking at the old buildings from outside and considering their history. Entry is free.
Several stand along Xinmin Dajie, which makes them easy to see on foot in sequence. The Economics Department, Justice Department, Military Department, State Department and Transportation Department are all on or just off this axis, and the Welfare Department is outside Exit E of Jiefang Avenue Station on Metro Line 1.
4. Puppet Manchukuo government's Military Department
At 71 Xinmin Street in Chaoyang District, this building is now Jilin University's No.1 Bethune Hospital. It is the most convenient of the department buildings to reach, standing just outside Exit C of Wenhua Square Station on Metro Line 2.
Use it as the starting point for a walk along Xinmin Dajie, since the State Department, Economics Department and Justice Department are all within the same stretch.
5. Puppet Manchukuo government's State Department
At 126 Xinmin Street in Chaoyang District, this building is now part of the Jilin University Medical College. It is not usually counted among "the eight departments", as it was an organ of the executive government and thus more highly ranking than the other departments.
It stands just outside Exit C of Wenhua Square Station on Metro Line 2, so it can be seen in the same stop as the Military Department.
6. Puppet Manchukuo government's Economics Department
At 829 Xinmin Street in Chaoyang District, this building now houses Jilin University's No.3 Bethune Hospital. It is about 800 m south of Wenhua Square Station on Metro Line 2, using Exit C.
Continue south from here to the Justice Department at 828 Xinmin Street, which is now Jilin University's Bethune Medical Department, and on to the Transportation Department at 1163 Xinmin Street, now Jilin University's College of Public Health.
7. Puppet Manchukuo government's Culture and Education Department
At 696 Ziyou Avenue in Chaoyang District, this building is now the Northeast Normal University's affiliate primary school. It is about 820 m west of the Northeast Normal University Station on Metro Line 1.
The Agricultural Department at 8 Ziyou Avenue, now the university's affiliate high school, is about 960 m west of the same station, so the two can be combined in one walk along Ziyou Avenue.
8. Puppet Manchukuo government's Foreign Affairs Department
At 1122 Jianshe Street in Chaoyang District, this building is now a Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic operated by the Moii Group. It is about 730 m east of Nanchanglu Station on Metro Line 3.
It sits apart from the Xinmin Dajie cluster, so treat it as a separate stop rather than trying to fold it into the same walk.
9. Puppet Manchukuo government's Welfare Department
At 3623 Renmin Street in Chaoyang District, this building is now the Jilin Province Petrochemical Engineering Design and Research Institute. It stands just outside Exit E of the Jiefang Avenue Station on Metro Line 1.
Because it is directly at a metro exit, it is one of the simplest of the department buildings to see if you are short of time.
10. People's Square
In Chaoyang District, around the cross streets of Xi'an Lu, Renmin Dajie and Changchun Dajie, this is one of the focal points of Changchun. The site commemorates the Russian soldiers, and specifically the Russian pilots, who died to liberate Changchun during World War II.
It is close to Baishan Park and a small "Culture Square" of sorts, and sits at Renmin Square Station on Metro Line 1, which makes it an easy stop between other sights.
11. Wenhua Square
In Chaoyang District, north of the crossroads of Xinmin Dajie and Jiefang Road, this square is served by Wenhua Square Station on Metro Line 2. It is the natural anchor for the Xinmin Dajie cluster of former government buildings.
Start or finish a walk along Xinmin Dajie here, using Exit C for the buildings on the southern side.
12. Jilin Provincial Museum
At 1666 Yongshun Road in the Jingyue National High-Tech Industry Development Zone, this museum is about 1.7 km west of Changyingshijicheng Station on Metro Line 3. It is open 09:00–16:30, with no entry after 16:00, and closed on Mondays. Entry is free.
It shares a building complex with the Jilin Province Science and Technology Museum, so the two can be visited together; the science museum is open 09:00–15:45, with no entry after 15:00, and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
13. Jilin Province Natural History Museum
At 2556 Jingyue Street in the Jingyue Development Zone, Nanguan District, this museum is close to Dongbeishida Station on Metro Line 3 and opposite the Northeast Normal University's East Gate. It is open 09:00–16:10, with no tickets sold after 15:30, and closed on Mondays. Tickets are ¥20.
Its position near a metro station and a university gate makes it straightforward to combine with a walk in the Jingyue area.
14. Northeast Museum of Ethnic Folk Customs
At 98 Xincheng Street in the Changchun Economic Development Zone, this museum is administered by the Northeast Normal University and is near Shijiguangchang Station on Metro Line 3. It is open 09:00–16:00, with no tickets sold after 15:00, and closed on Mondays. Tickets are ¥50.
Since it closes earlier than several other museums, plan it as an earlier stop in the day.
15. Changchun City Planning Exhibition Hall
At the intersection of Huaxin Street and Yimin Road in Nanguan District, this hall is about 1.4 km southwest of the Municipal Government Station on Metro Line 1, and bus route no. 15 also serves it. It is open 09:00–16:30 and closed on Mondays. Entry is free.
It works well as a first stop if you want context on how the city is laid out before visiting the older buildings.
16. Jilin Province Arts & Crafts Museum
At 66 Fuzhi Road, at the intersection of Fuzhi Road and Jingyue Street in the Jingyue Tourism & Economic Development Zone, this museum is near Fuzhilu Station on Metro Line 3. It is open 10:00–16:00 and entry is free.
Its later opening time makes it a good match with the Jingyue-area museums, which tend to close earlier in the afternoon.
17. Jilin Province Museum of Alcohol Culture
At 9699 Yatai Street in Nanguan District, this museum is about 550 m south of Yataidajie Station on Metro Line 3. It is open 09:00–16:00 and entry is free.
It is a short metro ride from the Jingyue cluster, so it can be added to the same day if you are moving along Line 3.
18. Jilin University Museum of Archaeology and Art
At 2699 Qianjin Street in Chaoyang District, this museum is about 1 km south of Guigudajie Station on Metro Line 3. Normal opening hours are 08:30–15:30, summer vacation hours are 09:00–15:30, and it is closed on Mondays and every day during the winter vacation. Entry is free.
Check the season before you go, since the winter vacation closure removes it from the itinerary entirely at that time of year.
19. Norman Bethune Health Science Center of Jilin University
At 828 Xinmin Street in Chaoyang District, about 1 km south of Wenhua Square Station on Metro Line 2, this is the school Norman Bethune founded in 1939, initially to train "barefoot doctors", peasants trained to help when there was a desperate shortage of army medics. There is a small museum dedicated to him on the ground floor, open 13:00 to 16:30 on Wednesdays and Fridays.
As of 2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, only staff and students were allowed to visit, so confirm access before making the trip.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at the Museum of the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo on Guangfu North Road in Kuancheng District, reached from Weihuanggong Station on Metro Line 4. Give it the morning, since the grounds and the exhibition rooms take time and tickets stop being sold well before closing.
Afternoon: Take Metro Line 2 to Wenhua Square Station and walk Xinmin Dajie, using Exit C for the Puppet Manchukuo government's Military Department and the State Department, then continue south to the Economics Department and the Justice Department. Finish the afternoon at the Norman Bethune Health Science Center of Jilin University on the same street, noting that its museum is only open on Wednesday and Friday afternoons.
Evening: Head to People's Square at Renmin Square Station on Metro Line 1, where the site commemorates the Russian soldiers and pilots who died to liberate Changchun during World War II, and which is close to Baishan Park. If you still have energy, the Museum of Former Changchun Film Studio Site on Hongqi Street is the other major stop worth fitting in if your day allows.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Museum of the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo open?
From May 1 to September 30 it is open 08:30–17:20, with no tickets sold after 16:10. From October 1 to April 30 it is open 08:30–16:50, with no tickets sold after 15:40.
Can I go inside the former Manchukuo government department buildings?
Visitors usually cannot get inside, but it is still good to have a look at the old buildings from outside and think of their history. Entry is free.
Which museums in Changchun are closed on Mondays?
The Jilin Provincial Museum, the Jilin Province Natural History Museum, the Northeast Museum of Ethnic Folk Customs, the Changchun City Planning Exhibition Hall and the Jilin University Museum of Archaeology and Art are all closed on Mondays. The Jilin Province Science and Technology Museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Is there a museum dedicated to Norman Bethune in Changchun?
Yes. There is a small museum on the ground floor of the Norman Bethune Health Science Center of Jilin University, open 13:00 to 16:30 on Wednesdays and Fridays. As of 2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, only staff and students were allowed to visit.
Check the opening days against your travel dates, then build your route around the metro stations named above and start planning your trip to Changchun.