Happy TravellerWelcome to Songyuan, a vibrant city located in west-central Jilin province, China. Despite its modern appearance, Songyuan has a rich history dating back to the Neolithic age. The city was once part of the ancient Buyeo Kingdom and Balhae, and during much of the Qing era, it was an important military and administrative center. Today, Songyuan is a prefecture-level city that has undergone rapid modernization, thanks in part to its profitable oil companies.
One of the highlights of Songyuan is its location at the intersection of Jilin, Heilongjiang, and Inner Mongolia. The city covers 22,000 square kilometers and has a population of 2.8 million. Songyuan is also home to 7,600 square kilometers of arable land, with an annual food production of about 6 million tons, a quarter of the total production of Jilin Province.
Songyuan has a monsoon-influenced, humid continental climate, with long, cold, windy winters and hot, humid summers. The coldest month, January, averages -16.1 °C (3.0 °F), while the warmest month, July, averages 23.7 °C (74.7 °F). Over two-thirds of the annual precipitation falls from June to August alone.
The city is divided into one district and four counties, with three provincial-level development areas. Songyuan’s economy is thriving, with a 2006 revenue of 47.4 billion yuan and a profit of 4.5 billion yuan. The city is located on the Songnan Plain, with the sixth-largest land-based oil field of China, the Jilin Oil Field, located in the city. Songyuan is also a national commercial food base and is ranked second in the province in food production. The city has also developed an industry in oil production, oil refinement, oil chemistry, biological chemistry, agricultural products, pharmaceutical products, textiles, machinery, and electricity.
Songyuan is easily accessible by rail and road. There are five railways and six provincial or national highways passing through the city, and it takes ninety minutes to reach the Changchun or Harbin airport by taxi. Songyuan Chaganhu Airport has also been constructed. Additionally, Songyuan Port is the largest inland river port in Jilin Province, with an annual throughput capacity of 800,000 tons.
When visiting Songyuan, be sure to check out some of the city’s twenty important tourist destinations, including Chagan Lake, which is one of the ten largest freshwater lakes in the nation, and Qianan Forest. There are also several temples and monuments in the surrounding areas. With its rich history, thriving economy, and beautiful landscapes, Songyuan is a must-visit destination for any traveler to China.
