China's Most Underrated Summer Food Paradise: How Delicious Is It Really?

Jilin in summer is unexpectedly delicious!

With persistent high temperatures after the onset of summer, the top 10 hottest regions in China this year have all recorded highs exceeding 42°C. As the weather gets hotter, appetites dwindle. So where is cool and tasty this season? My answer is—

Jilin Province, a blessed land in Northeast China where "a winding river flows through the center, surrounded by majestic peaks." Nurtured by its pristine landscapes, this fertile and abundant land has witnessed the ebb and flow of history, with diverse cultures interweaving and settling. The flavors of Jilin are equally vibrant and varied.

What defines the taste of Jilin?

It’s the concentrated showcase of distinctive produce across mountains, hills, plains, and grasslands. From the wild delicacies of Changbai Mountain, poultry and livestock in the hills, grains of the plains, to the cattle and sheep of the grasslands, Jilin gathers it all. It can be said that Jilin boasts the widest culinary diversity in northern China.

It’s a feast of flavors born from multi-ethnic cultures. The Manchu’s pickled cabbage and boiled pork, the Korean’s spicy kimchi and pollock, the Mongolian’s hand-grabbed meat and milk tea... Jilin cuisine embraces all, harmonizing a hundred tastes, earning its title as a "culinary expo" of northern Chinese specialties.

It’s also a grand stage for Jilin locals to showcase their creativity and imagination in food. Here, even cold noodles and barbecue come in over a dozen variations. Subtle tweaks in broth, noodles, dipping sauces, grilling tools, or marinating methods reflect Jilin’s dedication to culinary excellence and innovation.

The timeless flavors of Jilin continue to expand their horizons today. Russian seafood imported via Hunchun Port and Russian cuisine introduced through Sino-Russian trade have also taken root, becoming integral parts of Jilin’s culinary tapestry.

As temperatures rise nationwide, why not visit this underrated summer retreat and food paradise for a taste of its delights?

The "rich heritage" of Jilin cuisine,

Changbai Mountain is the first impression many have of Jilin. Located along the golden 42°N latitude belt, its natural "coolants"—mountains, lakes, and forests—ensure an average summer temperature of 22°C (max 30°C), crisp air, and an ideal summer escape. The diverse flavors of Jilin trace back to this 2,700-meter-tall "sacred mountain" of the Northeast.

Changbai Mountain is the source of the Songhua, Yalu, and Tumen Rivers—the "Three Northeast Headwaters"—and a key origin of Jilin’s flavors. Its vast primeval forests offer not only stunning landscapes but also abundant natural resources for locals. Over millennia, cultures like the Sushen, Goguryeo, Balhae, Khitan, and Jurchen flourished here under its nurture.

Ancient Jilin tribes maintained close ties with the Central Plains. As early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Sushen people sent envoys bearing "hù shǐ shí nǔ" (their hunting tools and cultural symbols) as tribute. By the Ming and Qing eras, Jilin thrived as a "cradle of the Manchu," whose pork-centric, sticky-dipped-pickled culinary traditions remain preserved here today.

From the mid-19th to early 20th century, Korean migrants brought spicy, fresh flavors like kimchi and pollock. During the puppet Manchukuo era, Pu Yi’s court in Changchun attracted Qing imperial chefs and Shandong masters, whose frying, braising, and saucy techniques deeply influenced Jilin’s cuisine. Today’s rich flavors are a microcosm of Jilin’s millennia of history.

Beyond history, Jilin’s terrain shapes its tastes. Beyond the Changbai Mountains and eastern hills, central-western meadows, lakes, wetlands, and sands abound. The mountains yield mushrooms, ginseng, and wild fruits, offering seasonal freshness; the plains, famed for their "oil-rich" black soil, produce soybeans, corn, wheat, and sugar beets, alongside hearty meats; the western grasslands, nourished by Chagan Lake, teem with cattle and sheep. Such bounty underpins Jilin’s culinary confidence.

Nurtured by this legacy and abundance, Jilin today boasts many intangible cultural heritage foods: Yanbian Korean rice cakes, Dingfengzhen pastries, Ula Manchu hotpot, Li Liangui smoked meat pancakes, Chagan Lake whole-fish banquets, Yanji cold noodles, and pork-blood sausages. These dishes not only showcase Jilin’s culinary culture but also preserve and promote Chinese heritage.

The "freshness of mountains and seas" in Jilin cuisine:

Ginseng chicken soup, king crab, pollock soup...

"Fresh," a term often reserved for southern fare, but delve into Jilin, and you’ll find it fits just as well here.

Jilin’s freshness blends mountain and sea. First, gaze upon the vast, mystical Changbai range—its lower altitudes and distinct seasons yield produce so plentiful it rivals the nation.

In spring, as the tender shoots of Aralia elata, Artemisia integrifolia, dandelions, and Allium macrostemon begin to emerge across the mountains and fields, they are promptly gathered by local aunties foraging in the hills. These wild greens are then stir-fried with free-range eggs to make a savory egg sauce, served as a dipping dish, bringing the pure, primal freshness of Jilin's wilderness to the dining table. After autumn rains, mushrooms flourish beneath the trees—either freshly stir-fried with meat or dried for storage, later stewed with chicken or goose in winter. Beyond wild vegetables and mushrooms, the Changbai Mountains yield over a hundred precious resources like ginseng, pine nuts, forest frogs, lingzhi mushrooms, and Rhodiola rosea, collectively forming Jilin's mountain delicacies.

Many coastal southerners assume northerners avoid seafood. Yet they might be surprised to learn that Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, nestled against the Changbai Mountains, hosts Northeast Asia's largest Alaska pollock processing industry—supplying 80% of South Korea's pollock. This fish is also a Yanbian favorite, with dedicated restaurants offering nearly a hundred dishes: sticky rice wrapped in pollock skin, fried skin, steamed pollock with bean sprouts and chili, pollock soup—all showcasing Yanbian's culinary creativity.

Beyond pollock, Yanbian boasts another astonishing delicacy—Russian seafood! Arm-length snow crabs, bowl-sized scallops, and king crabs priced at 2,000 yuan each in upscale supermarkets... In Hunchun City, Yanbian, you can buy abundant, affordable Russian-imported seafood.

This daily luxury stems from Hunchun's unique geography. As Jilin's easternmost city and China's only tri-border area (China-North Korea-Russia), Russian seafood now reaches Chinese markets within a day, thanks to thriving Sino-Russian trade. Trucks laden with live king crabs and snow crabs stream through Hunchun Port daily, enriching Chinese dining tables.

As seafood's first landing point, Hunchun offers unmatched freshness at low prices. Simple steaming suffices for top-tier flavor, but locals go further: snow crab meat mixed with seaweed and rice becomes a savory bibimbap; scallops, arctic clams, and horse clams are grilled over charcoal with garlic or spicy sauce. The giant scallops are especially prized—after devouring the meat, their juice-soaked shells are used to grill instant noodles and beef, amplifying the umami.

Jilin Cuisine: "Land of Staple Foods"

Stone pot bibimbap, Korean rice cakes, Manchu pastries...

Dining on black soil: bold yet refined!

While Jilin rice is famed, few know the province is also China's "meat pantry"—abundant and diverse, hosting Northeast's largest cattle market alongside exceptional lamb, pork, and fish.

Central Jilin's rolling forests, once Qing dynasty royal hunting grounds ("Shengjing Hunting Enclosure"), offer unique meats like wild boar, venison, and horse. The standout is Wula hotpot, operating since the Guangxu era—a seafood broth simmered with mussels, crab, shrimp, and pork bones, paired with thinly sliced fire-roasted pork belly and pickled cabbage.

Beyond hotpot, Jilin elevates pork: "white meat" (boiled pork belly) and blood sausage, rooted in Manchu rituals, are served separately here—paper-thin meat and lamp-bowl-shaped sausage, a local specialty.

Little-known fact: Jilin also has vast grasslands, lakes, and wetlands teeming with livestock and aquatic bounty. Notably, Chagan Lake ("Holy White Lake" in Mongolian) was a Liao dynasty royal hunting site, famed for its pristine waters and winter "fathead fish," rich in umami compounds, best enjoyed stewed—a Northeast culinary staple.

Come spring, the thawing Songhua River yields "opening-river fish," starved all winter for tight, flavorful flesh, ranked among "China's Four Freshest."

Grassland-raised Tongyu red beef and Qian'an lamb shine in western Jilin's Mongolian cuisine—morning milk tea with dairy or meat, or steamed lamb dumplings. For mains, hand-grabbed mutton is classic, but Jilin innovates with boiled offal or "stomach-wrapped meat" (crispy tripe stuffed with tender meat, paired with leek flower sauce).

Yanbian's yellow cattle offer a different profile—beef soup rice for breakfast, while nighttime skewers range from Hunchun's Russian-influenced giant kebabs (sweet-marinated beef on triple skewers) to Changbai's "snack bar" style: marinated raw beef and boiled tendon on iron plates with housemade rice wine.

Jilin—perhaps the Northeast's most underrated province—reveals itself as a culinary powerhouse. This summer, its cool climate invites not just scenic escapes but a full sensory feast.

Jilin's flavors and laid-back charm make it a summer must-visit.

Jilin Province may be the most low-key of China’s northeastern provinces, but a visit here will reveal that it is in fact one of the most dazzling culinary powerhouses in the north. This summer, with its refreshingly cool climate, the region is especially ideal for escaping the heat. Beyond taking in the beautiful scenery, visitors can find complete satisfaction—from the taste buds and the stomach to the heart and soul.

The flavors and laid-back charm of Jilin make it truly worth a visit this summer.