Yanji
Encyclopedia
Yanji also known as Yeon'gil (jɔnɟil) from its Korean name (옌지), is the seat of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture
, eastern Jilin
province, Northeast China
. Its population is approximately 400,000 of which a large section is ethnic Korea
n. Yanji is a busy hub of transport and trade between China and North Korea
.
rulers of China began to encourage migration there, as an effort to stem encroaching Russian expansion.
Yanji is now part of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture
which is situated in the most easterly part of Jilin Province. Yanji City is centrally located, surrounded by five other county-level cities and two rural counties (see map); it is the administrative capital of the prefecture.
in May 2009 close to the Chinese border, and the blast set off an earthquake of magnitude 4.5 with an epicenter only 112 miles from Yanji. The mutual goodwill of the Chinese and Korean populations in the region was put under severe strain, and many in Yanji expressed newfound feelings of dismay and insecurity regarding their North Korean neighbors.
A South Korean pastor, The Reverend Kim Dong Shik, was kidnapped in Yanji in January 2000, one of numerous well-publicized North Korean abductions of South Koreans
: a suspect of mixed Korean-Chinese descent, said to have been trained in Pyongyang
, was arrested and charged with the crime in December of 2004.
Yanji was the startpoint of an international dispute in 2009 when two American journalists, Euna Lee
and Laura Ling
were detained by North Korean border guards when, after leaving Yanji, they overstepped the nearby demarcation line. The two were freed only after intervention at the highest level, by former US President Clinton
.
Crystal meth
seeping across the border from North Korea has led to a drug problem. Twenty years ago, Yanji had only 44 registered drug addicts. Last year it registered almost 2,100 drug addicts, with more than 90 percent of them addicted to meth or similar synthetic drugs. Local officials acknowledge that this is very likely a gross undercount and that the actual number may be five or six times higher. “Jilin Province is not only the most important transshipment point for drugs from North Korea into China, but has itself become one of the largest markets in China for amphetamine-type stimulants,” said a Brookings
report on the subject.
contained in a small, very flat area. It is ringed by mountains dotted with small, remote farming communities. It has a four-season, monsoon
-influenced, humid continental climate
(classified in the Köppen system
as Dwb), with long, very cold winters, and short, but very warm, humid summers. Spring and autumn constitute very short transitions with some, but usually not heavy, rainfall. Monthly mean temperatures range from −13.6 °C from January to July, with an annual mean of 5.4 °C (41.7 °F) and a total precipitation of 530 millimetres (20.9 in), most of it falling during the summer.
and 3 towns
.
Subdistricts:
Towns:
and Korean
are considered "official languages" of the city: all official signs are in bilingual text, with Korean at the top.
is almost twenty million). Yanji is also relatively young: the city grew up only in the nineteenth century and became the capital of its region just after the Second World War. Recent growth in tourism and overseas investment has helped to make Yanji a noticeably prosperous city. It abounds with modern architecture of steel and glass, and its broad avenues are conspicuously clean and well-maintained.
In modern times, Yanji has become a city of transport and trade. China is the largest trading partner of North Korea, accounting for almost 40% of that country's international commerce, and Yanji is the center of much of the cross-border enterprise.
Beyond North Korea, other countries have begun to partner with Yanji business groups: currently there are over five hundred joint ventures with international partners ongoing in Yanji. Much recent investment has been made particularly by South Korea
and Taiwan
, which has helped substantially in building the city's tourism industry.
Yanji also burnishes its reputation as a center of tourism by hosting the annual North China Travel Fair. Held every year since 1996, the fair is one of the largest of its kind in the country, showcasing over a thousand exhibitions representing cultural and economic partners from across China and overseas. Yanji also hosts the Tumen River Area International Investment & Business Forum, a three-day exposition held annually since 2000.
. A much shorter trip to the Chinese capital can be arranged at Yanji Chaoyangchuan Airport which serves the area with scheduled passenger flights domestically and to Korea. International air service is provided by the Changchun Longjia Airport
, and surface travel to Changchun
itself has been made more accessible since the large Changchun-Yanji Expressway was opened to the public in 2009.
A new 125 miles (201.2 km) water and sewage pipeline was completed in 2006, linking Yanji and the neighboring cities of Jilin
and Songyuan
to modern sewage treatment
plants along the Songhua River
.
is a comprehensive university in Yanji, founded in 1949; it offers eleven programs of study, including four doctoral programs. The university maintains a full-time teaching staff of over 1,400, serving an active student body of over sixteen thousand. One of Yanbian University's graduates, a Korean language major
, is Zhang Dejiang
, formerly a deputy secretary of the Municipal Committee of Yanji (1983–1985), and now a Vice-Premier
of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.
Yanji is also home to the Yanbian University of Science and Technology
, a technical research college founded in 1990, and the Yanbian Medical College.
. The city was the eighteenth stop for the Olympic torch relay
at the opening of the 2008 Summer Games.
Officials from the Guinness Book of World Records visited the athletics stadium at Yanbian University in July 2010 to witness a new world record being set: over one thousand students simultaneously juggled soccer balls with their feet for more than ten seconds.
takes place each September in Yanji, featuring traditional Korean music, dance, painting, and sports.
Karaoke
is popular in Yanji, and the city even has a burgeoning underground beatboxing
scene, which has been documented by filmmaker Liu Feng in Yan Bian Box (2007).
Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture
Yanbian is a Korean Autonomous Prefecture in Jilin Province, in Northeastern China, above the border with North Korea. Yanbian is bordered to the north by Heilongjiang, on the west by Baishan City and Jilin City, on the south by North Hamgyong Province of North Korea, and on the east by Primorsky...
, eastern Jilin
Jilin
Jilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
province, Northeast China
Northeast China
Northeast China, historically known in English as Manchuria, is a geographical region of China, consisting of the three provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The region is sometimes called the Three Northeast Provinces...
. Its population is approximately 400,000 of which a large section is ethnic Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n. Yanji is a busy hub of transport and trade between China and North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
.
History
Yanji and its environs were largely unpopulated until the 1800s when Qing dynastyQing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
rulers of China began to encourage migration there, as an effort to stem encroaching Russian expansion.
Yanji is now part of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture
Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture
Yanbian is a Korean Autonomous Prefecture in Jilin Province, in Northeastern China, above the border with North Korea. Yanbian is bordered to the north by Heilongjiang, on the west by Baishan City and Jilin City, on the south by North Hamgyong Province of North Korea, and on the east by Primorsky...
which is situated in the most easterly part of Jilin Province. Yanji City is centrally located, surrounded by five other county-level cities and two rural counties (see map); it is the administrative capital of the prefecture.
International incidents
The North Korean military detonated its second nuclear test2009 North Korean nuclear test
The 2009 North Korean nuclear test was the underground detonation of a nuclear device conducted on 25 May 2009 by North Korea. This was its second nuclear test, the first test having taken place in October 2006. Following the nuclear test, Pyongyang also conducted several missile tests.The test was...
in May 2009 close to the Chinese border, and the blast set off an earthquake of magnitude 4.5 with an epicenter only 112 miles from Yanji. The mutual goodwill of the Chinese and Korean populations in the region was put under severe strain, and many in Yanji expressed newfound feelings of dismay and insecurity regarding their North Korean neighbors.
A South Korean pastor, The Reverend Kim Dong Shik, was kidnapped in Yanji in January 2000, one of numerous well-publicized North Korean abductions of South Koreans
North Korean abductions of South Koreans
An estimated 84,532 South Koreans were taken to North Korea during the Korean War. In addition, South Korean statistics claim that, since the Korean Armistice in 1953, about 3,800 people have been abducted in North Korea , 480 of whom are still being held by North Korea.- Two types of Abductees...
: a suspect of mixed Korean-Chinese descent, said to have been trained in Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
, was arrested and charged with the crime in December of 2004.
Yanji was the startpoint of an international dispute in 2009 when two American journalists, Euna Lee
Euna Lee
Euna Lee is a South Korean-born American journalist who has worked for Current TV since 2005. Lee and fellow journalist Laura Ling were detained in North Korea after they crossed into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from the People's Republic of China without a visa...
and Laura Ling
Laura Ling
Laura G. Ling is an American journalist, working for Current TV as a correspondent and vice president of its Vanguard Journalism Unit, which produces the Vanguard TV series. She is the sister of Lisa Ling, who is a special correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show, National Geographic Explorer,...
were detained by North Korean border guards when, after leaving Yanji, they overstepped the nearby demarcation line. The two were freed only after intervention at the highest level, by former US President Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
Crystal meth
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
seeping across the border from North Korea has led to a drug problem. Twenty years ago, Yanji had only 44 registered drug addicts. Last year it registered almost 2,100 drug addicts, with more than 90 percent of them addicted to meth or similar synthetic drugs. Local officials acknowledge that this is very likely a gross undercount and that the actual number may be five or six times higher. “Jilin Province is not only the most important transshipment point for drugs from North Korea into China, but has itself become one of the largest markets in China for amphetamine-type stimulants,” said a Brookings
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
report on the subject.
Geography and climate
Yanji is situated among foothills, with the main metropolitan areaMetropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
contained in a small, very flat area. It is ringed by mountains dotted with small, remote farming communities. It has a four-season, monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
-influenced, humid continental climate
Humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....
(classified in the Köppen system
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
as Dwb), with long, very cold winters, and short, but very warm, humid summers. Spring and autumn constitute very short transitions with some, but usually not heavy, rainfall. Monthly mean temperatures range from −13.6 °C from January to July, with an annual mean of 5.4 °C (41.7 °F) and a total precipitation of 530 millimetres (20.9 in), most of it falling during the summer.
Earthquakes
The Chinese-Russian border around Yanji is a region well-known as susceptible to earthquakes: the most recent earthquake struck in February 2010 and registered 6.5 on the Richter scale.Administrative Divisions
Yanji has 6 subdistrictsSubdistrict (China)
The subdistrict , is one of the smallest political divisions of China. It is a form of township-level division which is typically part of a larger urban area, as opposed to a discrete town surrounded by rural areas, or a rural townships known as a xiang .In general, urban areas are divided into...
and 3 towns
Town (China)
When referring to political divisions of China, town is the standard English translation of the Chinese 鎮 . It is a fourth-level administrative unit, i.e...
.
Subdistricts:
- Henan Subdistrict (河南街道 / 하남가도), Jiangong Subdistrict (建工街道 / 건공가도), Xinxing Subdistrict (新兴街道 / 신흥가도), Gongyuan Subdistrict (公园街道 / 공원가도), Chaoyang Subdistrict (朝阳街道 / 조양가도), Beishan Subdistrict (北山街道 / 북산가도)
Towns:
- Yilan (依兰镇 / 이란진), Sandaowan (三道湾镇 / 삼도만진), Xiaoying (小营镇 / 소영진)
Demographics
The Korean diaspora in China has significant populations in at least eleven major Chinese cities, but none larger than Yanji: official Chinese census reports from 1990 placed the city's ethnic Korean population at over 170,000. Official census reports from 2000 have not yet been released publicly, but current estimates place it between about one third of the city's total population to more than one half. Both ChineseChinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
and Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
are considered "official languages" of the city: all official signs are in bilingual text, with Korean at the top.
Economy
With its current population estimated at four hundred thousand, Yanji is comparatively small by Chinese standards (for comparison, ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
is almost twenty million). Yanji is also relatively young: the city grew up only in the nineteenth century and became the capital of its region just after the Second World War. Recent growth in tourism and overseas investment has helped to make Yanji a noticeably prosperous city. It abounds with modern architecture of steel and glass, and its broad avenues are conspicuously clean and well-maintained.
In modern times, Yanji has become a city of transport and trade. China is the largest trading partner of North Korea, accounting for almost 40% of that country's international commerce, and Yanji is the center of much of the cross-border enterprise.
Beyond North Korea, other countries have begun to partner with Yanji business groups: currently there are over five hundred joint ventures with international partners ongoing in Yanji. Much recent investment has been made particularly by South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and Taiwan
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
, which has helped substantially in building the city's tourism industry.
Yanji also burnishes its reputation as a center of tourism by hosting the annual North China Travel Fair. Held every year since 1996, the fair is one of the largest of its kind in the country, showcasing over a thousand exhibitions representing cultural and economic partners from across China and overseas. Yanji also hosts the Tumen River Area International Investment & Business Forum, a three-day exposition held annually since 2000.
Transport and infrastructure
Daily train service to most major urban centers of the province is available from Yanji, including a 24-hour trip to BeijingBeijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. A much shorter trip to the Chinese capital can be arranged at Yanji Chaoyangchuan Airport which serves the area with scheduled passenger flights domestically and to Korea. International air service is provided by the Changchun Longjia Airport
Changchun Longjia International Airport
Changchun Longjia International Airport is an airport in Jilin Province, People's Republic of China , for which it is an aviation hub in China's Civil Airport System...
, and surface travel to Changchun
Changchun
Changchun is the capital and largest city of Jilin province, located in the northeast of the People's Republic of China, in the center of the Songliao Plain. It is administered as a sub-provincial city with a population of 7,677,089 at the 2010 census under its jurisdiction, including counties and...
itself has been made more accessible since the large Changchun-Yanji Expressway was opened to the public in 2009.
A new 125 miles (201.2 km) water and sewage pipeline was completed in 2006, linking Yanji and the neighboring cities of Jilin
Jilin City
Jilin City is the second largest city of Jilin province in Northeast China. At the 2010 census, 4,414,681 people resided within its administrative area of and 1,975,803 in its built up area...
and Songyuan
Songyuan
Songyuan is a prefecture-level city in Jilin province, People's Republic of China.-History:Even though the present city of Songyuan is predominantly modern in appearance, the area has a long history dating back to the Neolithic age...
to modern sewage treatment
Sewage treatment
Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants...
plants along the Songhua River
Songhua River
The Songhua or Sunggari River is a river in Northeast China, and is the largest tributary of the Heilong River , flowing about from Changbai Mountains through Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. The river drains of land, and has an annual discharge of .As the Second Songhua River, it joins the...
.
Education
Yanbian UniversityYanbian University
Yanbian University is one of the key universities of the People's Republic of China, located at Yanji, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province.-History:...
is a comprehensive university in Yanji, founded in 1949; it offers eleven programs of study, including four doctoral programs. The university maintains a full-time teaching staff of over 1,400, serving an active student body of over sixteen thousand. One of Yanbian University's graduates, a Korean language major
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
, is Zhang Dejiang
Zhang Dejiang
Zhang Dejiang is a current Vice-Premier and a prominent leader of the Communist Party of China, a member of its Politburo.-Biography:Zhang, a native of Tai'an, Liaoning, attended Yanbian University, where he studied the Korean language. Beginning in August 1978 Zhang attended Kim Il-sung...
, formerly a deputy secretary of the Municipal Committee of Yanji (1983–1985), and now a Vice-Premier
Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China
The Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China is a high-ranking executive assistant to the Premier. There is a First-ranking Vice Premier , sometimes called Executive Vice Premier wrongly by the non-official media. It is an informal title and takes over duties of the...
of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.
Yanji is also home to the Yanbian University of Science and Technology
Yanbian University of Science and Technology
The Yanbian University of Science and Technology , or YUST, is colloquially known as Yankeda . It is a research university in the city of Yanji, Jilin Province, China. Yanbian University of Science and Technology is the first Chinese joint-venture university in the Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture...
, a technical research college founded in 1990, and the Yanbian Medical College.
Sport
Yanji hosts sporting events at the 50,000-seat People's StadiumYanji People's Stadium
Yanji People's Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Yanji, China. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium has a capacity of 50,000 people.-External links:*...
. The city was the eighteenth stop for the Olympic torch relay
2008 Summer Olympics torch relay
The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from March 24 until August 8, 2008, prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics, with the theme of "one world, one dream". Plans for the relay were announced on April 26, 2007, in Beijing, China...
at the opening of the 2008 Summer Games.
Officials from the Guinness Book of World Records visited the athletics stadium at Yanbian University in July 2010 to witness a new world record being set: over one thousand students simultaneously juggled soccer balls with their feet for more than ten seconds.
Culture
Yanji is often described as more of a Korean, rather than Chinese, community. Two all-Korean television channels are produced locally, and others can be freely received from both North and South Korea. Korean cuisine is highly popular and available everywhere. An annual Korean folk festivalFolk festival
A Folk festival celebrates traditional folk crafts and folk music.-Canada:Alberta*Calgary Folk Music Festival*Canmore Folk Music Festival*Edmonton Folk Music Festival*Jasper Folk Festival*Wild Mountain Music FestOntario*Barriefolk...
takes place each September in Yanji, featuring traditional Korean music, dance, painting, and sports.
Karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
is popular in Yanji, and the city even has a burgeoning underground beatboxing
Beatboxing
Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation of turntablism, and the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical instruments...
scene, which has been documented by filmmaker Liu Feng in Yan Bian Box (2007).
External links
- Official government website
- Yanji region information