# Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture

The Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in the east of Jilin Province, China. Yanbian is bordered to the north by Heilongjiang Province, to the west by Jilin's Baishan City and Jilin City, to the south by North Korea's North Hamgyong Province, and to the east by Russia's Primorsky Krai. Yanbian is designated as a Korean autonomous prefecture due to the large number of Koreans (Chaoxianzu) living in the region. The prefectural capital is Yanji and the total area is 42,700 square kilometres (16,500 sq mi).
The prefecture has an important Balhae archaeological site – the Ancient Tombs at Longtou Mountain – which includes the Mausoleum of Princess Jeonghyo.

## History

In the Ming dynasty, Yanbian was governed by the Jianzhou Guard (建州衛) and in the late Qing dynasty the area was divided into the Yanji (延吉廳) and Hunchun (琿春廳) subprefectures. From 1644 to 1800s, the Manchurian Qing state maintained a policy of disallowing Han Chinese immigration into traditionally Manchurian lands in order to ensure that the Manchu were not assimilated by the Han Chinese. However, this effort failed because of the trading and agricultural opportunities available to Han Chinese migrants in the northeast region which made it profitable to evade the rules, as well as later Qing relaxation of the same rules (Chuang Guandong) to discourage Russian encroachment. Thus, in the 19th century, Chinese immigrants migrated en masse from China proper to areas that were formerly off limits to Han Chinese migration.
In the late 19th century, Korean immigrants migrated en masse from the Korean Peninsula to China. After the foundation of the Republic of China, a second wave arrived. Of the 2 million ethnic Koreans in Manchuria at the time of the communist takeover, 1.2 million remained in the region after the end of World War II. Many participated in the Chinese Civil War, most on the side of the Chinese communists. When the civil war was over, the new Chinese government gave these Koreans their own autonomous region (区) in 1952. Yanbian was upgraded to an ethnic autonomous prefecture in 1955. During the Cultural Revolution, ethnic Koreans were killed and persecuted in Yanbian.
Korean (Joseon) migration into Northeast China began in significant numbers in the last quarter of the 19th century and was mainly motivated by economic hardship on the Korean side of the border. After the Japanese annexed Korea in 1910, a small but significant number of migrants also came to Manchuria for political reasons.
In 1952, the Korean migrants comprised some 60% of the local population, but by 2000 that was down to 32%. The Chinese authorities subsidize Korean language schools and publications, but also take measures to prevent an emergence of Korean irredentism in the area. From the late 1990s, the Chaoxianzu have assimilated into mainstream Chinese culture with increasing speed, often switching to daily use of Chinese and choosing to attend Chinese-language schools.

## Geography

* Geographic coordinates: 41° 59' 47" – 44° 30' 42" N, 127° 27' 43" – 131° 18' 33" E
* Total border length: 755.2 kilometres (469.3 mi)
** With North Korea: 522.5 kilometres (324.7 mi)
** With Russia: 232.7 kilometres (144.6 mi)
Mountains that are in the prefecture are:
* Changbai Mountains (central range)
* Zhangguangcai Range
* Harba Peak (哈尔巴岭)
* Peony Peak (牡丹领)
* Old Master Peak (老爷岭)
* Nangang Mountain Range (南岗山脉)
There have been over 40 types of minerals and 50 kinds of metals – including gold, lead, zinc, copper, silver, manganese and mercury – discovered near or in the mountains.
The average land height is 500 metres above sea level.
Main rivers include:
* Songhua River
* Mudan River (Peony River)
* Tumen River
** Gaya River (branch of the Tumen)
** Hunchun River
The rivers sustain 28 running water processing facilities. They created basins, which are suitable for agricultural uses, like rice paddies and bean farms.

## Politics
### Structure

| Title | CCP Committee Secretary | People's Congress Chairman | Governor | Yanbian CPPCC Chairwoman |
| Name | Hua Jiafu | Zhang Taifan | Hong Gyeong | Kang Fang |
| Ethnicity | Han | Korean | Korean | Han |
| Born | October 1967 (age 57) | November 1964 (age 60) | November 1976 (age 48) | March 1966 (age 58–59) |
| Assumed office | June 2022 | January 2022 | November 2021 | January 2022 |

### Administrative divisions

The prefecture is subdivided into eight county-level divisions: six county-level cities and two counties:
Administrative divisions of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture :
| Yanji (city) Tumen (city) Dunhua (city) Hunchun (city) Longjing (city) Helong (city) Wangqing County Antu County ||||||||
| Division code | Division | Area (km$^2$) | Total population 2020 | Seat | Postal code |
| 222400 | Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture | 43,329.34 | 1,941,700 | Yanji | 133000 |
| 222401 | Yanji City | 1,722.24 | 686,136 | Xinxing Subdistrict | 133000 |
| 222402 | Tumen City | 1,140.50 | 85,248 | Xiangshang Subdistrict | 133100 |
| 222403 | Dunhua City | 11,787.76 | 392,486 | Minzhu Subdistrict | 133700 |
| 222404 | Hunchun City | 5,141.29 | 239,359 | Henan Subdistrict | 133300 |
| 222405 | Longjing City | 2,208.80 | 129,286 | Anmin Subdistrict | 133400 |
| 222406 | Helong City | 5,068.71 | 117,087 | Wenhua Subdistrict | 133500 |
| 222424 | Wangqing County | 8,825.81 | 167,911 | Dachuan Subdistrict | 133200 |
| 222426 | Antu County | 7,434.23 | 124,187 | Jiulong Subdistrict | 133600 |
Divisions in Chinese and Korean :
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Chinese Korean transliteration | Chinese Korean transliteration | Chinese Korean transliteration |
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Joseongeul | Revised | McCune |
| Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture | 延边朝鲜族自治州 | Yánbiān Cháoxiǎnzú Zìzhìzhōu | 연변조선족자치주 | Yeonbyeon Joseonjok Jachiju | Yŏnbyŏn Chosŏnjok Chach'iju |
| Yanji City | 延吉市 | Yánjí Shì | 연길시 | Yeongil-si | Yŏngil-si |
| Tumen City | 图们市 | Túmén Shì | 도문시 | Domun-si | Tomun-si |
| Dunhua City | 敦化市 | Dūnhuà Shì | 돈화시 | Donhwa-si | Tonhwa-si |
| Dunhua City | 敦化市 | Dūnhuà Shì | 돈화시 | Donhwa-si | Tonhwa-si |
| Hunchun City | 珲春市 | Húnchūn Shì | 혼춘시 | Hunchun-si | Hunch’un-si |
| Longjing City | 龙井市 | Lóngjǐng Shì | 룡정시 | Ryongjeong-si | Ryongjŏng-si |
| Helong City | 和龙市 | Hélóng Shì | 화룡시 | Hwaryong-si | Hwaryong-si |
| Wangqing County | 汪清县 | Wāngqīng Xiàn | 왕청현 | Wangcheong-hyeon | Wangch’ŏng-hyŏn |
| Antu County | 安图县 | Āntú Xiàn | 안도현 | Ando-hyeon | Ando-hyŏn |
The above counties and cities are divided into 642 villages (边境村).

## Transportation

Railways include:
* Chang-Tu Line (长图线)
* Mu-Tu Line (牡图线)
* Chao-Kai Line (朝开线)
* Yangchuan-Shantun Line (阳川山屯线)
* Jilin–Hunchun intercity railway (吉珲客运专线)
There are 1,480 km (920 mi) of public roads altogether. There are four airports.

## Demographics

The total registered population in Yanbian at the end of 2022 was 2.015 million. The urbanization rate was 69.6% in 2022. Between 1952 and 2002, Yanbian had among the highest rates of urbanization at 55.6%, 20 percentage points greater than the provincial average (31.3%) and 25 more than the national average (26.5%).

### Ethnic composition

The population of Yanbian was predominantly Han as of 2022, who were estimated to make up 60.2%, followed by Koreans at 35.5%, and Manchus at 3.6%. The ethnic composition according to the 2020 census:
Demographic Profile of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture :
| Ethnicity | Han | Korean | Manchu | Hui | Mongol | Miao | Tujia | Zhuang | Jingpo | Yi | Other |
| Population | 1,222,373 | 597,426 | 54,292 | 5,530 | 4,532 | 349 | 248 | 219 | 214 | 168 | 1,350 |
| % | 65.79 | 30.77 | 2.80 | 0.28 | 0.23 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.07 |
| % of ethnic minorities | – | 89.93 | 8.17 | 0.83 | 0.68 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.20 |
As on the Korean peninsula, the most common surname among Yanbian Koreans is Kim (Jin [金] in Chinese). Many emigrated from Korea during the 19th century and again during the Japanese occupation.

## Economy

The GDP of Yanbian was about CN¥83.857 billion (US$12.479 billion) as of 2022. Its per capita for 2022 was CN¥44,007 (US$6,542). Its primary, secondary, and tertiary industries were worth CN¥7.652 billion (US$1.138 billion), CN¥33.527 billion (US$4.9285 billion), and CN¥42.708 billion (US$6.350 billion), respectively.

## Education

Colleges and universities:
* Yanbian University, which uses both Chinese and Korean as instruction mediums.
* Yanbian University of Science and Technology
International schools:
* Yanbian International Academy
* Korean International School in Yanbian

## Culture

Both Mandarin Chinese and Chaoxianzu style Korean are used as official languages in Yanbian.
The Museum of Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture was planned in 1960, and constructed in 1982. It contains over 10,000 exhibits, including 11 first-level artifacts. The exhibits' labels and explanations are bilingual in Korean and Chinese and tour guides are also available in both languages.

## Tourism

There are seven public parks in Yanbian's green space (18% of whole prefecture), including:
* Yanji People's Park (延吉人民公园)
* Youth Lake Park (青年湖公园)
Also popular among locals during holidays and festivities.
* Paektu Mountain

## Nature and environment

Over 70% of the prefecture is forest, so there is a rich biodiversity.
* 1,460 species of native animals
* 250 species of native plants.

## Sports

Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture is an important region for Chinese football. Over 50 years, more than 40 footballers have been selected by the China national team.
The first professional football team in this prefecture is Jilin Three Stars Football Club. From 1994 to 2000, this club had played each year in the top Chinese football league. In 2000, they were relegated from the top league. Because of poor economic conditions the club was sold to Lucheng Group in Zhejiang Province.
Yanbian Longding plays in the 30,000-seater Yanji Stadium in China League One, the second tier of the Chinese football league system.
In 2016, Yanbian Football Club was sponsored by Shenzhen Funde Group (Chinese: 富德集团) when they got the permission of Chinese Super League, since they acquired the 1st place in the Chinese Second League in 2015.