Jilin: Commodity grain base & industrial foundation

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October first marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. News Hour on CCTV International brings you a series of reports on each of the country's provinces, municipalities and special administrative regions. Today's focus is on Jilin.

Jilin province lies in the center of northeastern China. Liaoning province is to the south, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the west, Heilongjiang Province to the north and Russia to the east. Jilin covers 187,400 square kilometers. Its population is over 27 million.

The Songhua River flows through Jilin City. The humidity coupled with low temperatures give the city a unique winter view.

Jilin is an important commodity grain base. Its principal crops are soybeans, corn, sorghum, rice and wheat. The Changbai Mountain range is an important source of lumber and home to rare wildlife. A popular tourist destination there is Tianchi Lake, or Lake of Heaven.

Jilin has a solid industrial foundation. New China's first automobile was assembled here in the provincial capital Changchun, at what is now the First Auto Works Group. F-A-W has grown into one of the country's biggest car-makers.

New China's first feature-length drama film was produced at what is now the Changchun Film Group Corporation. The city's annual International Film Festival is one of the industry's most respected in China.

In 2006, Changchun hosted the Asia Winter Games.