Australian Professor Dufu Wen: Changchun Is Blessed with Rich Resources

Ice covers the cars outside the hotel and the concierge says itʼs minus four (-4) in Changchun and colder near the Jingyuetan National Scenic Area that I am scheduled to visit today.

Caption: Australian professor Dufu Wen (left) is visiting Jingyuetan National Scenic Area [Photo by Zhang Qi]

“Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets as are ice and snow.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping has overseen the introduction of ‘Ecological Civilisationʼ into the countryʼs constitution and enshrined the protection of the lakes, rivers and forests as an important resource for the economic and social development of the ‘nation.

Beijing will be hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics so Chinaʼs northeastern region (Dongbei) and the centrally located Jilin province and its capital city Changchun are well placed to develop the winter economy and benefit from their natural advantages.

Changchun is blessed with large areaʼs of pristine wilderness, virgin forests, rivers and lakes and wildlife. As part of the revitalisation and renewal of the regionʼs economy Jilin has focused on ecological tourism, outdoor recreation and sports as key development goals.

Since 2003 Jingyuetan National Scenic Area has annually hosted a major international cross-country skiing competition and cultural festival. Each January world class competitors and thousands of tourists flock to enjoy the ultra-modern facilities and pristine conditions.

Caption: Australian professor Dufu Wen is looking at a sculpture in Changchun World Sculpture Park [Photo by Li Peng]

Following an enormous lunch of crab soup, vegetable and mixed meat dishes, noodles and mushrooms I walked it all off by visiting the 92 square km world Sculpture Park in the central south district of Changchun. The park boasts a gigantic collection of public outdoor art thoughtfully curated and displayed throughout the park. Vast gardens, a lake and a monumental sculpture dedicated to peace, friendship and spring provides a vista of the city. A number of very large indoor gallery spaces are evenly distributed around the lake and display themed collections.

The portrait sculptor Cao Chunsheng has almost an entire gallery devoted to his bronzes of famous dignitaries, poets and artists and personages including the writer Lu Xun, and the choreographer Dai Aiwa. Another gallery housed a splendid collection of wooden sculptures from Tanzania in East Africa.

Caption: Australian professor Dufu Wen is visiting the FAW Hongqi Automobile Culture Exhibition Center [Photo by Liu Su]

In the early afternoon I visited the automobile exhibition center of Chinaʼs ‘First Automobile Worksʼ or FAW. The state owned enterprise created Chinaʼs first passenger car in 1958. The ‘Hongqiʼ ( Red Flag) brand is most famously known for its iconic limousines used by Chinaʼs leaders for public occasions, visiting dignitaires and important national events.

FAW is headquartered in Changchun and manufactures automobiles; buses; light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks; and auto parts. Today FAW has a long term partnerships with Volkswagen and Audi of Germany, also based in Changchun, Toyota of Japan and General Motors of the USA.

As part of the revitalisation of the north-east region, FAW has recently restructured its management, joined with Internet and AI to develop systems for its electric luxury vehicles. Top on the list is a new luxury SUV going on-sale in 2019.