TeamBridge Business Social Club

TeamBridge Business Social Club is pleased to present photographs by residents and visitors to Jilin Province. Click here to view the TeamBridge Business Social Club photo gallery.

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Changchun

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A Strategic History of Changchun

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Changchun (Long Spring) was founded a little over 200 years ago and so named in probably the finest piece of real estate over-hype to ever catch the attention of an unsuspecting and gullible public. Spring is intense, but it is not long. Winter is long. Wear a thick coat and grow flowers indoors. Appreciate snow.

The original capital of Jilin (Lucky Forest) Province was Jilin City, a jewel of a town (pop. 1000000) on the Song Hua River, that flows north through Harbin. Jilin these days is no longer a riverboat city, but an industrial city, producing a wide range of chemicals. When the Japanese invaded they established the puppet state of Manchuria, they moved government out of Jilin and made Changchun the new capital, where the Puppet Emperor Puyi was enthroned. His palaces still exist today, as do many of the buildings and projects undertaken by the invading Japanese, much of it by forced labour.

Changchun was chosen as the site of their new Manchurian capital city by the Japanese because, they say, the fengshui was excellent.

The Japanese of those times may have been many things, some of them cruel and despicable, but there can be little doubt that they were also clever and excellent warriors. They chose Changchun because it was defensible, because it rarely suffers natural disasters, and because it is close to the spiritual heart of China, the homelands of the dominant Han people, the source of the Mandarin language, that, even today and likely for a long long time to come, forms the linking language of all the various peoples and ethnic groups that make up the huge empire originally welded together by the great Emperor Qi.

Catch the heart and you catch the whole - so must have been their plan, that was largely successful until they overextended themselves, dipped deeply into atrocity and turned all against them, finally reaching the end that awaits all thoughtless conquerors.

The area around Changchun was a battleground during the War of Independence. Both sides recognised its importance. After the victory of the Communist forces of Chairman Mao Changchun became the secure heart of New China's industrial production, with likely significant output directed against the invading US forces as they attempted to establish themselves on the border in what is now North Korea.

Changchun was the cultural centre of all of modern China. The communist party's great propaganda-entertainment industry was founded here and pumped out film after film from the northeast's own Hollywood.

These days, thanks in part to the Japanese, who found an underdeveloped economy and taught the people through example the benefits of modern industrial techniques, an excellent transport system easily gets your goods to port, energy is plentiful and cheap, the skill base is large, all infrastructure exists.

Since the great opening of China to the outside world in the 1980's much of the infrastructure of Changchun and Jilin Province has been renewed. Factories are equipped now with state of the art machinery.

Low costs, excellent transport and facilities, raw materials and skilled labour plus a strategic need to grow makes the local authorities receptive to foreign investment proposals.

The City and Provincial governments are keen, for a number of reasons, to forge lasting links of cooperation with foreign capital and expertise. An investor with an eye on the global view may well find himself here. Have a look at the TeamBridge Business Social Club projects pages to get a clearer idea of what Changchun can do for you.

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An Introduction To Modern Changchun City

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Flat. Wide and flat. An industrial city. Lots of cars, most of them made in Changchun. Trains made in Changchun too. Big chimneys everywhere. But the air is cleaner than Beijing and many other industrial cities.

What gives Changchun City an advantage over other areas of China or other developing economies anywhere in the world? Changchun has it all, experience, and room to grow. That's it in a nutshell. If you are tired of the cutthroat scene in the larger cities you will appreciate what a smaller industrial centre can do for you.

Overheads are low. Transport is cheap and easy. The rest of Asia is on your doorstep and Russia too. Beijing (Peking) is only a few short hours away by train.

There are many kinds of industry. Have a look at the TeamBridge Business Social Club projects to get an idea of the scope of what Changchun City is capable of doing.

Food is cheap and good. Beer is cheap and therefore good.

There are things to do if you want to. Places to see.

We have telephones, DVD's, computers and the Force.

If your mind is wider than Kansas you will be happy here. If not, best stay at home.

If you don't believe us, check out the CIA Factbook - or is that no longer reliable?

The people are nice. Most of them. They all have a sense of humour. Come over and have a look for yourself. Don't take our word for it. Some of us (folks from other lands) have been here for decades. Why? Must be we like it.

Changchun is very multicultural. There are people - teachers, workers and students - from all over the world.

Further information about life in Changchun City is available in the TeamBridge Library.

Click here for an international list of companies active in Changchun (or nearby in greater Jilin Province).

A map is available here.