Along with the rapid growth of Jilin's economy, there are advances in science, technology, education and social services. The construction of a socialist spiritual civilization has also been extremely fruitful.

　　Science and Technology

　　Jilin Province enjoys fairly strong advantage in science and technology, with big strength of research and development in areas of optics, applied chemistry, solid-state physics, electronics, information technology, biotechnology, materials science, advanced manufacturing techniques, modern agriculture, modern Chinese herbal medicine, and environmental protection, etc. Jilin Province is the state’s regional commercialization bases for “863” Plan achievements in optical electronics, modernization of traditional Chinese medicine and bio-pharmacy. There are 698,000 professionals from various fields in the province and 36 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences or of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. There are 14 research institutions in Jilin that are affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, or with national ministries or departments. They include Changchun Research Institute of Physics and Precise Optical Machinery, Changchun Research Institute of Applied Chemistry, Northeast Research Institute of Geology and Agricultural Ecology, and Changchun Research Institute of Biological Products. There are 8 national laboratories and 10 national technological centers for enterprises. There are 197 independent research institutes above county level. There are 153 research and development centers affiliated with institutions of higher learning. 254 research and development centers are affiliated with large or medium industrial enterprises. In 2004, the patent application and patent authorization accumulated to 35,000 and 18,000 respectively in Jilin Province.Thanks to scientific and technological advantages, a group of major industries, enterprises and new economic growth points have formed inthe province.

　　For many years Jilin Province has been heavily laden with scientific and technological achievements. The scientific research institutes in Jilin were the first in China to produce synthetic rubber, microscopes, optical glass, ruby lasers, Red Flag sedans, railway passenger cars, subway cars, completely separated rare-earth elements, and high-resolution nuclear magnetic spectrometers.
Development of Education

　　The education of Jilin Province is fairly developed. There are 65 institutions of higher learning of various types, such as Jilin University, Northeast Normal University (NENU), etc. with an enrolment of 483,800 students, 43 of which are regular institutions of higher learning with 362,200 students. There are 190 college students every 10,000 people, which ranks 6th in the nation. The gross rate of enrollment for higher education is 23%, 6 percentage points high than the country’s average, which means that higher education has been popularized. There has also been a great deal of development in primary and secondary school education, adult education, vocational education, special education and ethnic education.

　　Jilin University

　　Jilin University is a key institution of higher learning under the direct leadership of the Ministry of Education. Based on the Northeast College of Administration, which was founded in 1946, in 1950 it was renamed Northeast People's University and in 1958 it was again renamed Jilin University. It is a national comprehensive prestigious university. It is also an important research base for fundamental science and for preparing high caliber personnel. The new Jilin University was founded in 2000, consisting of the previous Jilin University, Jilin Industrial University, Bethune University of Medical Sciences, Changchun University of Science and Technology, and the Changchun Postal and Telecommunication College.Thereare 129 undergraduate disciplines, 128 academic programs granting degrees in Class 1 subjects, 245 master degree programs, 143 doctorate programs, 27 postdoctoral mobile research centers, and 17 national key academic subjects. There are 63,000 full-time students, of whom 17,000 are masters or Ph.D. candidates.
　　Social Causes

　　Culture

　　Cultural activities in Jilin Province are flourishing. The province has 65 performance troupes of different types. There are 62 public libraries, 22 museums, 97 archives, and 75 cultural centers. In August 2004, the 6thAsian Art Festival was successfully held in Jilin Province.

　　Radio and Television

　　The radio broadcasting industry of Jilin Province started in November 1945 when the Jilin Broadcasting Station began its service. There are 10 radio stations and 41 county radio or television stations, reaching 96.53% of the population. Television broadcasting in the province began in October 1959 when the Experimental Television Department, a new division of the Jilin People's Broadcasting Station, started transmission. Now there are 10 television stations with 68 channels, reaching 97.69% of the population.

　　Journalism and Publishing

　　Journalism and publishing are flourishing and excellent works continue to appear. A large number of books have won national or provincial prizes. The Publishing Group of Jilin Province was officially set up in 2003. In 2004, it published 78 kinds of national and provincial newspapers, 233 kinds of periodicals (magazines), 3,826 kinds of books, 420 kinds of audio and visual products and 110 kinds of electronic publishing materials.
　Sports

　　There are rich and colorful popular sporting activities. In competitive sports Jilin Province enjoys advantage in some athletics programs—short track speed skating, figure skating, free-style skiing, shooting, archery, wrestling, weight lifting, cycling, etc. The 6thAsian Winter Games will be held in Changchun in 2007.

　　Health

　　By the end of 2004, the province had 8,219 health organizations, among which are 594 hospitals, 9 emergency centers in cities or prefecture, 824 rural health infirmaries and 76 epidemic prevention and control organizations. There are 86,400 beds with 3.19 beds for every 1,000 people. There are 161,500 medical workers with 4.75 medical workers for every 1,000 people.The quality of the public’s health is improving and the average life expectancy has reached 71 years, up from only 39 years before the founding of People’s Republic of China.