2025.8.8-15 & 2026.7.12 – 8.27
After we left Benxi in Liaoning province, we drove 320 kilometres northeast to Changchun – the capital city of Jilin province. The look and vibe of Changchun could not be more different from Shenyang. The latter is like a rowdy and messy brother – a vibrant melting pot of contrasting cultures. One minute you found yourself in the midst of Korean neon signs, smell of Korean barbecue and honking vehicles stuck in traffic. The next minute you were back in the quiet neighbourhood of low-rise blocks with small noodle shops, grocery stores and wet market. And you spot the Meiji style historic architecture here and there.
In comparison, Changchun is the elegant sister with wide birch-lined avenues, beautiful parks and numerous monumental Meiji-style historic buildings in the heart of the city. It reminds me of the Chiyoda district of Tokyo. Ironically, the city’s pleasant and well-designed urban planning and infrastructure are also the most tangible reflection of its turbulent history.
Changchun was a small fur and natural product trading post and village in the first half of the nineteenth century. As the Qing dynasty was in pretty bad shape already, between 1858 and 1860, Russia annexed large tracts of territory, namely the Outer Manchuria adjoining the Heilongjiang (Amur River in those days). Russia later obtained the rights to build and control the Chinese Eastern Railway and expanded its influence southward. In 1899, Changchun’s first railway station was built. In 1906, the Chinese Eastern Railway from Changchun to Lushun was transferred to Japan after Russia lost the Russo-Japanese War and renamed the South Manchuria Railway.
Japan saw great potential in Changchun with its fertile black soil, ground water and vast forestland and invested heavily to turn it into a modern city. It became the capital of the puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China from 1932 until its dissolution in 1945. Since mid 1950s, it has been a major automobile manufacturing city. But Dongbei’s economy has slowed down significantly since the 1990s due to its inability to transition from a planned economy to market-oriented economy.
We went to a small Japanese restaurant in a new residential area. We sat at the counter and saw the chef, a twenty-something young man meticulously preparing our delicious kaisendon (mixed sashimi rice bowl). I could tell the young chef is not an outgoing person but I struck up a conversation with him and eventually exchanged WeChat contacts. We brought our friend Elaine to the restaurant again to try the Bafun uni (a type of sea urchin) from Dalian.
We WeChat on and off the next few days. One day out of the blue, the young chef wrote “I like you”. I asked if he sent the text by mistake as I’m old enough to be his mother (haha). He promptly answered that he genuinely likes me – but not romantically as he already has a girlfriend whom he loves very much. When do you ever tell someone you met a few days “I like you” (apart from someone you fancy or loved ones)? And would you say it so frankly? So, you see how I am always amazed by the adorably direct and affectionate nature of Dongbei people.
When I told my young chef friend that I am actually half Japanese, he said that no wonder I like Changchun. I told him that I am embarrassed to feel at home in Dongbei because of what Japan did in the past. He then said that his mentor is a very nice Japanese and there are many great Japanese people. It is just those in power that had been terrible and one should not confuse the people with the government. I was surprised by his mature thinking which is probably why I like talking to him.
Wherever we went, the locals were curious where we are from due to our Cantonese-accented Putonghua. But only in Dongbei, people would praise our accent. I was always baffled by their compliments because our accent sounds so nasal with the intonation all over the places. I always replied, “you can’t be serious as your accent sounds so much better and more elegant”.
When we revisited Changchun almost a year later, this time in mid July, it was as if we rediscovered the city all over again. Last time, the hotel we stayed was in the newly developed district away from the centre. This time, we stayed near the centre and explored Changchun on foot or via subway. We got to see different parts of the city as well as places we visited first time round.
We decided to stay longer in Changchun. We became very familiar with the area around our hotel, the Nanhu Park and the newly developed districts as well. We often cycled or walked one way through various neighbourhoods and small streets and then took the subway or transit back.
We originally planned to leave before the end of July and headed west to the meadows in Inner Mongolia. But a major heatwave from Xinjiang swept across China, so we stayed put in Changchun. Our comfortable hotel was perfect for our “long siesta” – we often chilled in the hotel lobby and only went out in late afternoon.
In the past three years, we often stayed in the middle-range hotels under Huazhuhui – a major and fast-growing hotel group in China. This time, we tried a slightly more expensive hotel brand and were astounded by the hotel’s quality – particularly its exceptionally warm hospitality and sumptious breakfast.
Everyday, we saw Mr. Wang the general manager hard at work. He is down to earth and always personally introduced and served the local Dongbei dish to the guests during breakfast time. The staff are well-trained and we could tell that they love working here – the high spirit and teamwork among them is infectious. They often go the extra mile to make our stay comfortable. Most of them knew us after the first week and we soon got to know many of them better.
The front desk team is young and energetic. Haohui, a twenty-one year old young man is very sweet and the restaurant’s female staff always greeted him with a hi five. One time, I asked him about my parcel when he was about to mend his tie. He asked me to hold his needle so that he could get it for me haha! The maintenance guy is a tall guy with a cool deep voice. I joked one time that he’s super important because he’s the only one in his department. Xiaowei, a bubbly female staff at the restaurant always greeted people with a big smile and she cleaned and set the table meticulously. One evening, it was pouring down rain and Panjie, the senior manager called me to check our van as she noticed that we had left the windows slightly rolled down (we usually leave it like that for ventilation sake). Zimu, a young manager has a beautiful singing voice and I sometimes asked him to sing for us – the guests always looked amazed when they entered the lobby and listened till he finished before going to their rooms.
We looked forward to breakfast every single day. Even after four weeks, we still discovered new dishes at the buffet. Mr. Wang sometimes even cooked as well and proudly presented his special cold dishes. He even asked what we like and had the chef specially prepare vegetable dishes to our liking. They knew that Kin likes sunny side up eggs. They also went to great length to prepare local dishes that we had not tried before. Mr. Wang lent me his massager when he heard that my neck was acting up. Everyday, we were showered with their attentive and warm hospitality.
We have stayed in many hotels all over China but only in this hotel, we saw the great bonding among the staff – they helped each other whenever necessary and even stayed behind after their shift when things got hectic. The two managers, Panjie and Zimu often took turn to help out in the noodle section during breakfast peak hour. I learned from Panjie how important the railway was to the locals’ livelihood – both her grandfather and father worked for the state-owned railway enterprise and she grew up in the quarters provided by the SOE and public utility charges were subsidized.
There was live music in the hotel lobby in the evening and we became good friends with the pretty and kind-hearted singer Xiaoguan. She is a primary school teacher and sings at the hotel in the evening to supplement her meagre salary. One night, I asked her to recommend a hairdresser as my hair was getting out of control. She said all the hairdressers in city centre are overpriced and offered to take me to her hairdresser near where she lives. The next day, she came to pick me up from home and then drove all the way back and specifically told the hairdresser to do a good job before she went to work. The hairdresser was very good and it only cost 210 rmb for straightening and haircut. I was very touched by Xiaoguan’s kind help and this was how our friendship began.
We often had early dinner with Xiaoguan at places she wouldn’t normally try such as Cantonese and Japanese restaurants. Then we returned to the hotel and watched her performance. One night, I noticed a small hard lump under my left collarbone. The next day, I asked Xiaoguan which hospital is good and how to make a doctor’s appointment. She immediately helped me register and said she would accompany me to see the doctor. I was grateful as I had never gone to the public hospitals despite having lived in China all this time.
Having experienced it first hand, I was astounded at how efficient the Chinese medical system is. I did the registration Thursday evening and got a Saturday morning appointment with the breast surgery specialist. The whole registration process via the hospital app only took me a few minutes to complete and it included the option to record my condition and past history (all guided by AI).
On Saturday, I arrived at the hospital around 9:20 (my appointment was 1000-1030) and scanned the QR code via a kiosk at the breast surgery department. I got the ticket and waited for my number to come up on the huge monitor. Xiaoguan waited with me and we saw the doctor at 1045. He took one look at my lump and asked if I do any exercises that often swing my arms and shoulder such as table tennis. I told him that I don’t play table tennis but push up regularly and started doing rowing and using dumbbells the past month. Then he calmly said “it’s part of your bone” and explained that tissues and bones in our bodies can change and move over time depending on daily habits and exercise. Then we asked if further examination was needed and he quietly said, “I’ve seen it all the time but I could arrange an x-ray if you want”. I paid 50 RMB via WeChat pay on the spot. Then we went to another floor, registered via another kiosk, went to the x-ray room and did the x-ray almost immediately.
We then went to lunch nearby and returned to the hospital around 1pm to register for a follow-up appointment. We waited for 30 minutes and the doctor showed us the x-ray and confirmed his diagnosis that everything is normal. We left the hospital around 2pm and I only spent 100 RMB in total (50 RMB registration fee plus 50 RMB for the x-ray). It would be even cheaper for the locals as they have national medical insurance to cover the medical charges.
We only found out much later that Xiaoguan is actually Manchurian and her full surname is in fact Guwalgiya (瓜爾佳氏). She brought us to her hometown Yitong (伊通), a Manchurian provincial town and we tried the local signature roast pigeon and BBQ. We also went to the Manchurian museum.
I once read a novel, “A Gentleman in Moscow” in which the protagonist was confined to live in a hotel – he knew every staff and even worked in the hotel restaurant. Kin joked that we were like the protagonist and knew every staff -except that we could leave the hotel but we did not want to. We would never have stayed in Changchun so long if we didn’t meet these lovely people at Manxin Hotel.
We met so many wonderful people and had so many precious moments during our second visit to Changchun. The city, its people and all these great memories will always hold a special place in our hearts. We stayed at other Manxin hotels after we left Changchun but they were not as good. I told Mr. Wang and Zimu the manager that we really missed them!
Thank you for visiting us.