Jilin Province is also one of the major forest regions in China. The Changbai Mountains in eastern Jilin, known as the "Changbai Sea of Forests," rise and fall for 1,000 kilometers. Here grow Pinus sylvestriformis and other ancient trees. The province features 7.769 million hectares of timberland and 41.3 percent of forest cover. It produces 6 million cubic meters timber yearly, the second in China.

Jilin boasts of rich mineral resources. A total of 136 minerals have been discovered, and the deposits of 75 discovered minerals have been ascertained. The province leads other provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in terms of oil shale reserve, comes out in front in the reserves of chromium, nickel, molybdenum, cyanite, andalusite, mould-casting sand, refractory clay, limestone, vein quartz, diatomite, speckstone, plumbago, and gypsum, and has rich deposits of gold, silver, petroleum, natural gas, and coal.

Jilin is a world-renowned producer of the "three treasures of northeastern China,"- ginseng, mink, and pilous antler. Its output of ginseng and pilous antler surpuses that of other regions in China. Ginseng from Xinkaihe of Ji'an City has the best quality. There are more than 2,700 species of wild plants, including 90 of medicinal value. Of which over 70 can be used in the manufacture of perfumes and tonics. There are also more than 80 specimens of edible fungi. Glossy ganoderma, elevated gastrodia, astragali, and other medicinal herbs have long been known far and wide. Hedgehogtfungus and other special products are much sought after by consumers, both Chinese and foreign.

Jilin has abundant tourism resources. There are 12 tourist areas, 349 tourist spots, 92 sightseeing spots, 35 nature reserves, and 8 places of historic interest and scenic beauty, 104 historical sites under state and provincial protection, 21 national forest parks, and 3 provincial tourist resorts.

A major national area of historic interest and scenic beauty, Songhua Lake is located on the upper reaches of the Second Songhua River, 24 kilomters southeast of Jilin City. It is a large manmade lake formed with the construction of the Fengman Hydropower Station in 1937.

The lake is 550 square kilometers in area, 75 meters deep, more than 10 kilometers wide at the widest point, and 200 kilometers in circumference. The picturesque lake is enchanted by Wuhu (Five-Tiger) Islets; Meirensong Mountain with exotic peaks; Jingui Islet, Luotuo Peak, Jiangjun Gully, Wolong Pool, and Luoquan Gully scenic areas; and eight scenic spots including Santaiyingri (Sun Reflected at Three Terraces) Aohua Terrace, Shilong Screen, and Mifeng Rock.

Covering a total area of 2,000 square km, Changbai Mountains Nature Reserve is, as a mammoth natural zoo and botanical garden, part of the UNESCO'S Man and Biosphere Program. The Tianchi Lake, Vertical Scenery, Aerial Park, hot springs, and waterfalls are among the six local natural wonders. The mountains, covered with primitive forests, make an excellent bio-tour destination.

Known as the "source of rivers and lakes," the Changbai Mountains have abundant water sources. The mountains are high in elevation and have steep slopes and many gorges, giving to the rise of numerous waterfalls. The Changbai Waterfall, 1,250 meters from Tianchi Lake, is an outlet of the lake water flowing between Longmen and Tianhuo peaks to join the Chengcha River. The waterfall has a flow of 1.25-5 cubic meters/per second. It cascades down over a 68meter-high cliff like a white jade belt hanging in the sky, bringing about a thunderous roar and foam that splashes several meters high in the air. There are also the Tizi River, Yuehua, Dongtian, Yinliu and Binghu Valley waterfalls.

Seventy kilometers south of Hunchun City is Fangchuan, a village at the foot of Zhanggu Peak in Jingxin Township. Several kilometers further ahead is the marker erected on the border between China and Russia in 1886 under the supervision of Wu Dacheng, the imperial envoy of the Qing Dynasty, and the representative of tsarist Russia. The village is merely 15 kilometers from the Tumen River. From the lookout tower on top of a hill in the vicinity, one can have a blurred vision of the mist-shrouded Nippon Hai extending to the horizon in the distance and the scenes along China's border with the D.P.R.K. and Russia. On the left is Russia's Podgornaya and on the right is Tumangng of the D.P.R.K.

There are more than 300 man-made landscapes, including the site once visited by Daqinmao or the third King Wen ofBohaiState during the Tang Dynasty, ruins of the Qixing Temple, Nanping Port on the upper reaches of the Tumen River, and scenes on the other side of the border in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea such as Musan, a steel production center; Chongsan Port; and the historical site of the revolutionary war at Leingngdao. The scenic area is of great value for scientific research and tourism development.