Jilin (jē´lĬn´) or Kirin (kē´rĬn´), province (2010 pop. 27,462,297), 72,000 sq mi (186,528 sq km), NE China; one of the original Manchurian provinces. The capital is Changchun. It is bordered by Heilongjiang prov. and Russia on the northeast, by North Korea on the southeast, and by the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region on the west. Jilin, crossed by the Songhua River and forming part of the fertile alluvial Manchurian (Northeast) plain, enjoys great agricultural prosperity; soybeans, wheat, upland rice, sweet potatoes, and beans are grown. Mountains in the east rise to more than 9,000 ft (2,740 m). Vast timberlands, among the best in China, are exploited, and iron, coal, gold, copper, zinc, and lead are extracted. Jilin's industries produce chemicals, machine tools, automobiles, and metals. The province has a good network of railroads, including the line between Shenyang, Changchun, and Harbin and its branches. The population, mainly Chinese, is concentrated in the industrial cities of Changchun, Jilin, Siping, and Liaoyuan. Near the North Korean border is the Yanbian Korean autonomous region (est. 1952), which has a large Korean population. Jilin Univ. is in Changchun.

Jilin (jē´lĬn´) or Kirin (kē´rĬn´), city (1994 est. pop. 1,117,800), central Jilin prov., China, on the Songhua River. It is a shipping port, a railroad junction, and a commercial and industrial center, with large chemical plants and paper mills. Oil is refined, and fertilizer, cement, lumber, and sugar are also produced. Jilin was the capital of Jilin prov. until 1954. Formerly called Yungki, Jilin is one of the oldest cities in NE China. The name sometimes appears as Chi-lin.