What's it all about, Alfie?

There isn't a lot of information on Changchun in English available on the internet (although that may change with this Changchun expats magazine coming soon), and the Lonely Planet section on Changchun is a massive diss. I'm also tired of looking through expat blogs just to find the smallest bit of information.

Some of the entries here repeat posts that I made to Virtual Tourist.

[Speaking of, if you're located in Changchun and you blog, let me know. I'm putting together a list.]

Plus, I was bored and this gives me something to do.

This guide is organized by the fabulous LJ system of tags. If you're looking for information on something in particular, check out these tags:

+ bakeries
+ bars
+ cafés
+ nightclubs
+ parks
+ restaurants (all)
+ restaurants (Chinese)
+ restaurants (Indian)
+ restaurants (Japanese)
+ restaurants (Pan-Asian)
+ restaurants (Western)
+ shopping (books)
+ shopping (DVDs)
+ shopping (music)
+ shopping (pets)
+ shopping (plants and flowers)
+ tourist attractions

More to come!


Who is this chick who writes this?

I've been living here since October 2005, teaching English, and I'll be here until January 2007, at which time I may pass this guide on to some other worthy.

Of course, this guide reflects all of my own prejudices. For more info, you can just take a look at my usual journal at moderntime. I also moderate a more general community for expatriates in China at china_expats.

If I've made an error, leave a comment for that particular entry by clicking the pencil icon at the top of each entry. As I'm an anal-retentive Virgo, I like to make everything perfect. However, if it's a difference of opinion, please put your opinion in the comments instead of e-mailing me to change that particular entry. Your opinion will be better served by being something that everyone else who looks at this guide can read, since this guide can only be improved with different viewpoints.

One minute you're in a dusty, industrial city where donkey carts still traverse the roads. The next minute you've stepped into a sleek, hip lounge that would not be out of place in New York or London. With its atmosphere of cool luxury, Made In Kitchen is definitely a great place to impress a date with your sophisticated tastes.

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+ How to say it in Chinese: chu2 fang2 zhi4 zao4

+ Menu in Chinese and English, with pictures

+ Address: 工农大路2632号 2632 Gongnong Dalu

+ Telephone: 0431-8564-5757

Let's get the bad news out of the way first: it might serve croissants, but if you were hoping for a classic French patisserie, French Bakery is not the place. For the good news, French Bakery easily lays claim to being one of the better Western restaurants in Changchun, and certainly one of the most consistent in quality and service.

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+ Menu in English and Chinese, no pictures

+ How to say it in Chinese: hong2 mo4 fang2 (the name in Chinese actually means "red mill")

+ Address: 桂林路1225号 (1225 Guilin Lu), between 同志街 Tongzhi Jie and 立信街 Lixin Jie

+ Telephone: 0431-88486773

Written by Scott Lewis

One of the true tourist jewels Changchun has to offer (yes, they do exist) is the truly remarkable Changchun Sculpture Park. (Editor's note: This is the largest sculpture park in the world.) 92 hectares of beautifully landscaped parkland based around a massive central lake, Sculpture Park easily needs at least four or five hours to fully appreciate, more if you want to take in the extensive gallery building as well. For those disinclined to walk the whole distance around the park (a fairly Herculean undertaking), for 5RMB you can get a buggy tour around the main footpath that lasts about 15 minutes. The sculptures are a good mix of modern and classical styles, and even if art isn't really your thing, to find such an extensive patch of greenery in Changchun is a godsend!

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+ Tip: Leave plenty of time to wander round, and if you plan to stay all day, take a picnic! There aren't many restaurants nearby and theres no re-entry allowed.


+ How to say it in Chinese: chang2 chun1 guo2 ji4 diao1 su4 gong1 yuan2


+ Address: The park is on the southern end of 人民大街 Renmin Da Jie. Look for the row of international flags.

+ Phone: 0431 - 85379001

+ Website: http://www.ccsculpture.org/

You know that Changchun is coming up in the world because it has scored its very own BEARD PAPA! Like Starbucks, but with a much cuter mascot (a friendly old man with a yellow cap that resembles the cream puffs), Beard Papa is a franchise that has been popping up all over the world and rapidly becoming ubiquitous.

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+ Tip: Be careful when you bite into the Beard Papa, the cream tends to get all over and make you look like a rabid dog.

+ Tip #2: Are you with friends? Get three at one time and score a frequent buyer card.

+ Menu in Chinese and English.

+ How to say it in Chinese: bei4 er2 duo1 ba4 ba de pao4 fu2 gong1 fang2, but you can cut that short and say bei4 er2 duo1 ba4 ba (Beard Papa)

+ Address: On 桂林路 Guilin Lu between 同志街 Tongzhi Jie and 立信街 Lixin Jie, diagonally across from French Bakery.

(edited on September 2, 2006)

As anyone who has been in Changchun for more than a minute would know, the DVD shops on Xikang Hutong are a cineaste's dream. I don't mean just your usual Hollywood schlock, though those are very well represented. I mean if you're a film snob and you're conversant with the likes of Jean-Luc Godard, Ingmar Bergman, Pier Paolo Passolini, Akira Kurosawa, Takeshi Miike, Pedro Almodovar, Abbas Kiarostami, Bernardo Bertolucci, and other canonical titans of the world cinema scene. Not only can you find all of the above, but you will also find many popular and independent films from a variety of countries (usually Japan, Korea, France, Russia, but I've also seen films from places like Iran). Heck, I screamed like Draco Malfoy when I found the Criterion edition of the Antoine Doinel series. And where else might you find the Criterion collection edition of Salo for 6 RMB?

Enough of this rhapsodizing. The point of this guide is to well, guide.

The DVD shop next to the Yoyo household goods shop is pretty fantastic. Although it does not have the selection of the other DVD shops on Xikang Hutong, what they do have seems to be carefully chosen. The DVD shop is decorated with empty DVD boxes from a variety of films, ranging from all of the filmmakers I've mentioned above, independent Chinese films, and a world animation section. They also feature a great selection of black-and-white Chinese films, some of which were made right here in Changchun during the heyday of the Changchun Film Studio.

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+ How to say it in Chinese: bao3 li4 jin1　

+ Address: corner of 西康胡同 Xikang Hutong and 立信街 Lixin Jie, next to the Yoyo household goods store. Peer into what seems to be an empty storefront, the one that is decorated with film posters inside. That's the place.

(Thanks to DC for his help with the Chinese name of the shop!)

Yonghe Doujiang (which translates to Perpetual Peace Soymilk) is a Chinese fast food restaurant. It's like a Chinese diner, with your usual CCTV blaring from the television screens. Nothing on the menu is more than 18 RMB, with most items falling between 2 RMB and 10 RMB. There's an excellent assortment of dim sum items, including a classic Taiwanese breakfast of fried breads and sweet soymilk.

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+ Tip: Open 24 hours, perfect for some late night noshing after a few drinks here and there.

+ Menu in Chinese with pictures.

+ How to say it in Chinese: yong3 he2 dou4 jiang1

+ Address: 西康路756号 (756 Xikang Lu), about halfway down the street between 同志街 Tongzhi Jie and 立信街 Lixin Jie.

+ Phone: 0431 - 85623118

There are few things in life as pleasant as having a sweet crepe on a hot summer day, or a savory crepe on a crisp autumn day. Xingyudao Creperie provides both if you need a fix--year-round, of course.

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+ Menu in Chinese with pictures.

+ How to say it in Chinese: xing1 yu3 dao3

+ Address: corner of 重庆胡同 Chongqing Hutong and 文化东胡同 Wenhua Dong Hutong, then walk down about a third of the way into the hutong.

This is one of my favourite places in Changchun. Call me a twee mofo, but it really is.

The first floor is lined with fish tanks from vendors selling all kinds of fish and fish accessories. They carry everything from fresh- and seawater fish to plants to rocks to the little ceramic figurines of old Chinese fisherman (no fish tank complete without one!).

There's even a shop selling beautiful polka-dotted sting rays and the mighty arowana fish. It's like being in an aquarium. For free.

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+ Tip: Check your plants for insects. I was not careful and my expensive peach tree plant turned out to be absolutely infested with aphids.

+ Tip #2: Bargain, bargain, bargain! The Fish and Flower Market is more expensive than elsewhere in Changchun because their plants are of generally higher quality. Of course, that doesn't mean you should let them rip you off!

+ Tip #3: If you get soil, just be aware that it often includes germinating weeds in there. The soil is great stuff, super absorbent and rich. There just happens to be weeds. I have to admit it's kind of funny to have indoor plants with weeds.

+ How to say it in Chinese: qing1 yi2 fang2

+ Address: 永吉街3号 (3 Yongji Jie)

Jilin Province's very own Foreign Language Bookstore recently underwent an extensive renovation, and it definitely shows. The shop is very white and clean, and although there is usually a layer of dust over the books, I'm not sure if it's the bookstore or just Changchun.

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+ Tip: There is an elevator in the back of the first floor, to the left. This is very convenient when you are too tired to walk up those many flights of stairs to get to the English language section.

+ How to say it in Chinese: You can skip the Jilin Sheng (Province) part and just say wai4 wen2 shu1 dian4.

+ Address: 同志街 1660 号 (1660 Tongzhi Jie), corner of 同志街 Tongzhi Jie and 惠民路 Huimin Lu