Jilin City's name has two origins. One is that in ancient times, the area surrounding present-day Jilin was sparsely populated, and the forests were teeming with pheasants. Locals called this area "Jilin," which later became known as "Jilin" in a homophonic way. Another theory is that the current name of Jilin City originated during the Ming Dynasty. In the early Ming Dynasty, Liu Qing, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, was ordered three times to build a shipyard on the banks of the Songhua River (present-day Jilin City), marking the beginning of the name "shipyard" in Jilin. Construction began in 1673, the 12th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, and the city was named "Jilin Ula City." In 1676, generals from Ningguta and other areas relocated to Jilin, and the city was renamed "Jilin Ula City." "Jilin Ula" is Manchu, meaning "city along the river." Later, the word "Ula" was dropped, and the city was shortened to "Jilin."
Other Names
Jilin is also known as "Jiangcheng" because Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty wrote the poem "Song of the Songhua River Boat Release" during his eastern tour, which includes the line "Masts and ships are linked together, stationed at the river city."
Jilin City is one of the key birthplaces of prehistoric human civilization. Humans inhabited the area surrounding present-day Jilin City as early as 160,000 to 230,000 years ago. Jilin City was officially founded 2,200 years ago during the early Western Han Dynasty. During this period, it served as the capital of the Fuyu Kingdom. From 1676, the 15th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign in the Qing Dynasty, when it served as the seat of the Jilin General's Office, to 1954, when the provincial capital was relocated to Changchun, Jilin City served as the political, economic, and cultural center of Jilin Province for 278 years. As a renowned historical and cultural city in China, Jilin City boasts seven national intangible cultural heritage items, including Manchu pearl balls and the Wula Manchu yangge. Known as the "Frost City and Skiing Paradise," Jilin City boasts national AAAA-level tourist attractions such as the Songhua Lake Scenic Area and the Beishan Scenic Area.