Baishan
Baishan Overview
Located in the southeastern part of Jilin Province, Baishan City is tucked away deep at the west side of the Changbai Mountains which is one of the eight well-known mountain ranges in China. To the north, it borders with the Jilin City, to the south it is opposite to North Korea across the Yalu River, to the east it is next to Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, and to the west is close to the Tonghua City. Covering an area of 17,485 square kilometers (6,751 square miles) including 1,388 square kilometers of (536 square miles) urban area, the city has a population of 1,299,238 (the end of 2007).
History
According to the historical record, human beings first appeared in the region since the Neolithic Age. In 1902 during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), this region was set up as the Linjiang County by the imperial government. In March 1959, Jilin provincial government promoted Linjiang County to a county-level city and renamed it as Hunjiang City. In 1985, Hunjiang City developed into a prefecture-level city. Till April in 1994, Hunjiang City was renamed as Baishan City, with the approval of the State of Council.
Geography
Baishan is 180 kilometers (111.8 miles) from east to west and is 163 kilometers (101 miles) from north to south. The China-North Korea boundary along Baishan is 454 kilometers (282 miles) long. The Longgang mountain range in this area has an altitude of 800 to 1,200 meters (2,624.6 to 3,937 feet); the Laoling mountain range is higher with an altitude of 1,000 to 1,300 meters (3281 to 4265 miles). The highest peak of Changbai Mountains, namely the Bayun (White Cloud) Peak also lies in this region, with an elevation of 2691 meters (8828.7 feet). The major rivers within this area include the Yalu River, the Songhua River and the Hunjiang River.
Climate
Baishan is believed to be the coldest area of Jilin Province. The climate of Baishan belongs to the monsoon continental climate of medium latitudes, thus the difference in temperature of spring is usually large, the summer is short and rainy, the autumn is cool and the weather is usually sunny, while the winter is long, dry and very cold. The average annual temperature is 4.6 degrees Centigrade (40.2 degrees Fahrenheit); the highest temperature in summer is 36.5 degrees Centigrade (97.7 degrees Fahrenheit); the lowest temperature of winter is -42.2 degrees Centigrade (-43.9 degrees Fahrenheit).
Natural Recourses
Endowed with fertile soil, lush forests and rich minerals, Baishan is considered as the 'three-dimensional resource treasure-house' as well as the 'Changbai Forest Sea'. The forest coverage of this region reaches 83 percent. There are more than 350 kinds of wild animals including 37 sorts under state protection, such as the Siberian Tiger, brown bear, red deer, lynx and musk deer. What is more, Baishan is the hometown of the 'three treasures of Northeast China', namely the Ginseng, mink fur and antler.
What to see: Changbai Mountain
