Jilin people have created not only the physical embodiment of the civilization but also the striking characteristics of the culture.

　　Literary Works

　　Literary works of Jilin sends out the scent of its black soil. The early works of this land includes those of the Bohai Kingdom, the Liao Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty. The existingworks of Bohai literature mainly include poemsand prose. The writings of the Liao Dynasty mainly present scenes of production and daily life of the Qidan ethnic group. The literary creation of the Jin Dynasty mainly describes the unique hunting culture of northern ethnic minorities. The works of the Qing Dynasty depict fishing and the idyllic life of the Man people in the Wula area. The famous “Song of the Boats On the Songhuajiang River” was composed by Xuanye (Kangxi) when he was making a tour of Jilin in the 21st year of his reign (1682 AD).

　　Since the founding of the P.R.C. there has been an unprecedented developmentin the literature of Jilin.Literary creation and criticism like poetry, novels, prose, journalism, folk literature and children's literature are plentiful. The folk literature of Jilin has a long historyand is wide spread. It has a distinctive northeastern style and flavor, and the historic and cultural traditions of the various ethnic groups. In particular, activities like ginseng digging, rafting, hunting andprospecting for gold have given rise to countless folk tales. In the whole country Jilin enjoys a leading position in terms of contemporary Korean, Mongol and Man literature.
Local Performing Arts

　　The local operas in Jilin Province include errenzhuan (a form of singing and dancing duet), Jilin opera, Xincheng opera, and Huanglong opera. Errenzhuan is an evolutionary form of Dongbeidayangge (a form of folk dance),northeastern folk songs, and Lianhualao (ballads). As much as 200 years old, errenzhuan is extremelypopular with the public.There is a folk saying going like this “I can give up a meal but not a errenzhuan show.” Based on errenzhuan and borrowing some performance styles from other operas, Jilin opera was a new performance art form created in 1959. Typical plays are Tao Li Mei (The Three Sisters), Lord Baogong Apologizes, Yanqing Sells Thread, and An Overnight Cocubine. Xincheng opera in Fuyu County is based on Man octagonal drum music while Huanglong opera in Nong'an County is based on thenortheast’s leather shadow puppets. They are very popular in the two counties.

　　Performance folk art in Jilin includes the Hans’ Dongbei Dagu (drum storytelling), the Mongols’ Wuliger and Halaibao (folk singing), the Koreans’ Pansori and Gudaling, etc. Jilin music has its local and multi-ethnic features.The Koreans, Mongols, and Mans are famous for their singing and dancing. Jilin enjoys a fairly comprehensive variety of fine-art forms. The Haotaiwangbei monument at Ji'an is an engraved stone tablet from the 19th king of the Koguryo kingdom. Besides its significance in politics and history, it is a treasure of calligraphy and stone engraving.
　　The Changchun Film Studio (Changchun Film Group)

　　On October 1st, 1945, the Communist Party of China took over the “Japanese Manchuria Film Co. Ltd” and founded the Northeast Film Company, which was later named Northeast Film Studio and in February 1955 was renamed the Changchun Film Studio (CFS). CFS produced the Emperor's Dream, the P.R.C.’s first puppet film (1947); Preventing Plague, the first science fiction film in this country; Catch the Turtle in the Jar, the first cartoon (1948); Save Him to Fight Chiang Kaishek, the first short story film (1948); Bridge, the first full length feature film (1949); and An Ordinary Solider, the first foreign film to be dubbed into Chinese (1949).Overthe years CFS hasprovided batch after batch ofhighly skilled professionals to China’s film or television industry. One after another it has produced excellentclassical films and has cultivated generations of famous film artists.

　　Changchun Film Theme Park

　　Covering an area of 1 million square meters, Changchun Film Theme Park is the first of its kind of the world class in China that integrates film entertainment with film tourism. Its construction is divided into three stages. With an investment of 1.5 billion RMB yuan, the first phase of the project covers an area of 300,000 square meters and comprises ten big film and visual areas, representing today’s world special effect film and new and high tech levels.

　　The CulturalLife of the Public

　　The cultural activities of the public in Jilin Province are varied and colorful. In both rural and urban areas, whether in the warmth of spring or in the harsh winter, cultural life is found in squares, community courtyards orbeside the fields of crops. The activities are rich in variety and have their own unique features. Many cultural centers with unique characteristics have come into being. Folk artists and artistic works of excellent quality have also been produced. Dongfeng County is home to many folk art painters, enjoying a nationwide reputation because of having more than 300 rural artists. Novel in form, strong in local flavor and colorful in content, the paintingshave won high praise in fine arts circles both at home and abroad. The carved driftwood rootsfrom Songhua Lake, Songhua inkstone and folk papercuts are all amazing. The Changchun Film Festival, Jilin Frost, Ice and Snow Festival, Yanbian Korean Folk Custom Festival, Liaoyuan Folk Art Festival, Summer Grassland Concerts in Baicheng, have served as the link between the economy and culture, and enjoy great public participation.
　　Jilin Cuisine

　　Taking root in the province’s black soil, Jilin’s food has created a new culinaryschool and is ahighlight of Chinese cuisine. Matching the unique customs, local culture, special ingredients, and using special techniques, Jilin cuisine has absorbed and developed styles of various origins and formed a flavor of its own. It has4 branches –ethnic, folk, royal, and wild & rare. Jilin food is natural, organic, nutritious and healthy. It alsoemploys the conceptsof luck, happiness, andfortune. Since the inauguration of Jilin cuisine by Jilin Province in 1999, there have appeared a large number of famous set menus consisting of well-known courses, dim sums, and specialty snacks. Quite a number of chefs and restaurants have become famous. Now Jilin cuisine is spread far and wide, with its flavor becoming known to the whole country. At the 2nd Festival of Chinese Delicacies held in 2001, Jilin cuisine, because of its special flavor,was enshrined as one of China’s “8 major new cuisines”.