City (pop., 2003 est.: 2,283,800), capital of Jilin province, northeastern China. It was a small village until the end of the 18th century, when peasants from Shandong began to settle in the region. It gained in importance after the completion of the Chinese Eastern Railway. It came under Japanese control following the Sino-Japanese War of 1894–95. At the time the Japanese seized Manchuria in 1931, the capital of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo was moved from Mukden (Shenyang) to Changchun. Following World War II, the city suffered severely in the fighting between communist and Nationalist forces but experienced phenomenal growth after 1949. It is now a centre for industrial expansion, as well as the cultural and educational heart of the province.
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