Reasons to be cheerful:

Changchun was founded only 200 years ago. It was the home of the Puppet Emperor, Pu Yi. The Japanese built two palaces for him and much of the city infrastructure.

It is an industrial city sited on a great plain two hours from a forested mountainous reserve where the native Siberian tiger has recently been released again into the wild.

It is only a few hours these days from Beijing by the new fast electric trains, a similar distance from the international port of Dalian and its restful beaches, within easy reach of the tourist-friendly Harbin and close to historic Shenyang.

In possibly the greatest real-estate scam in history, Changchun (Long Spring) was so named in an effort to induce migration into what had previously been empty wilderness.

Spring in Changchun is noteworthy, but it is the beautifully cold winter that seems to last nearly half a year, dipping to as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius. The winters are getting warmer though. It snows less these days.

Summer temperatures can peak at a little over 35.

For a foreign business person thinking of setting up here there are a few things that need be considered.

Your US dollar or Euro can buy you around 8 Chinese RMB.

A street level office, shop or workspace might be found for around 2000 RMB per month in a good area.

The Shangri-La Hotel provides serviced suites for companies like Ericsson.

Some shops will enter into commission-based arrangements for the right to sell from their premises or may charge a flat fee.

Food and medicine is cheap and plentiful.

Internet and telephone service is not expensive and is maintained at an acceptable standard.

Travel and freight costs are low.

A common three-roomed fully serviced apartment can cost 1000 RMB per month.

The cost of living and of doing business can be less than in Beijing or the other larger more usual destinations.

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