Liaoyuan Travel Guide: Longshou Mountain and a Hidden Chapter of the Second World War
Liaoyuan, the smallest prefecture-level city in Jilin, is a former coal town about 100 km south of Changchun. It's quiet, and most visitors come for one of two reasons. The first is Longshou Mountain, a free hill park in the middle of town topped by the Kuixing Tower. The second is history: the site of the camp where the Japanese held the most senior Allied officers captured in the Pacific War, including the American general Jonathan Wainwright, which reopened in June 2026 after renovation. One full day covers both, with the coal miners' memorial if you want the harder story too.
Places worth visiting
Longshou Mountain and Kuixing Tower
Before the city existed, settlers gathered on the west side of this hill, then called Dageda Shan. Since 1953 it has been a city park, and local tourism listings say entry is free. Paths climb through woods past the Suolong (Dragon-Locking) Well, the Fushou Palace and the Liaoyuan Museum to the Kuixing Tower, the city's landmark, with views over the whole valley. Old air-raid tunnels in the hill are now used to age the local Longquanchun liquor. Allow two to three hours, and go early or late on summer days. The stairs get icy in winter.
The Allied senior POW camp site
From 1931 to 1945 Liaoyuan, then called Xi'an County, was the second-largest coal centre in Manchukuo. Near the end of the war the Japanese held senior Allied prisoners here. Among them was General Wainwright, who had surrendered the Philippines; the museum covers 34 senior officers in all, including the British general Arthur Percival. The exhibition hall opened in 2015, is now a national protected site, and reopened on 20 June 2026 after an upgrade with new artefacts and multimedia displays. Hours are 9:00 to 16:00, Tuesday to Sunday, closed on Mondays except holidays. It's at 4907 Renmin Street in Xi'an District. Allow about an hour and a half.
Liaoyuan Miners' Mass Grave memorial
At 5048 Tai'an Avenue, also in Xi'an District, this hillside memorial marks the graves of Chinese miners worked to death in Japanese-run mines under a policy of "trading lives for coal". The site was excavated in 1963, became a provincial protected site in 1983, and was rebuilt as a memorial hall in 2001–2003. It's sobering and not for everyone, but it's the other half of the city's wartime story.
The East Liao River
The Dongliao River runs through the city, with a landscaped leisure belt along its banks for an evening walk.
When to come to Liaoyuan
May to October. The climate is temperate monsoon, with an annual average of only about 5 °C. Summers are green and pleasant, autumn colours are good from late September, and winters are long and cold. Most of the year's 620 to 750 mm of rain falls in summer.
Getting in and where to stay
- Rail: Liaoyuan station is on the Siping–Meihekou and Liaoyuan–Kaiyuan railways. There's no high-speed line yet, so check timetables, which are limited.
- Road: The Changchun–Liaoyuan expressway makes the drive from Changchun the quickest way in. Changchun Longjia Airport is about an hour and a half away by car.
- Neighbours: Siping is the nearest rail junction to the west.
Stay in the city centre near Longshou Mountain. The war sites are in Xi'an District, a short taxi ride away.
Eating in Liaoyuan
Liaoyuan has a long history of deer farming, and deer meat is a local speciality. Otherwise it's northeastern home cooking: stewed chicken with mushrooms, pickled cabbage hotpot, nian doubao sticky-rice buns and handmade dried tofu. Farm restaurants in the hills just outside town serve whole roast lamb at weekends.
How to arrange the route
One day: Longshou Mountain and the museum in the morning, lunch, the POW camp site in the afternoon (not on a Monday), then the river at dusk.
Two days: Add the miners' memorial and a slower pace, or a farm-restaurant lunch in the hills.
From Liaoyuan, head back to Changchun for the Puppet Emperor's Palace, or go east towards Tonghua and the Changbai Mountains.
What to cut if short on time
Keep the POW camp site if you have any interest in Second World War history; it's the one thing here you can't see elsewhere. Then add Longshou Mountain. The river walk is the first cut.
Things to confirm before you go
- POW camp site hours and Monday closure.
- Train times, which are infrequent; driving is easier.
- Icy paths on Longshou Mountain in winter.
Frequently asked questions
Is Liaoyuan worth visiting?
For Second World War history, yes: the senior Allied POW camp site is unique in China. Otherwise it's a pleasant, quiet city for a day.
How do I get to Liaoyuan from Changchun?
By car or bus on the Changchun–Liaoyuan expressway, about 100 km. Rail connections are slower and less frequent.
Does Longshou Mountain charge a ticket?
Local tourism listings say it's free.
Sources
The facts in this article were checked against the following sources, retrieved September 21, 2026, and rechecked on October 18, 2026.
- Liaoyuan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liaoyuan
- Liaoyuan (Chinese) https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/辽源市
- Liaoyuan Allied senior POW camp exhibition hall reopens, Jilin Wenming, June 2026 http://jl.wenming.cn/wenhuajilin/202606/t20260623_6999110.html
- Liaoyuan Allied senior POW camp exhibition hall website https://warii.museum.chaoxing.com/278/index.html
- Liaoyuan city tourism listings: Longshou Mountain and Kuixing Tower https://lywly.chaoxing.com/show/information/detail?id=40352
- Liaoyuan Miners' Mass Grave (Chinese) https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/辽源矿工墓
- Liaoyuan station (Chinese) https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/辽源站
Tickets change; check the official notice before you go.
All photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under CC licenses or public domain; re-use requires attribution.
- liaoyuan-longshou.jpg from File:辽源龙首山.jpg, by E2568, CC0
- liaoyuan-kuixing.jpg from File:辽源市魁星楼.jpg, by Air7538, CC BY-SA 4.0
- liaoyuan-city.jpg from File:Aerial View of Liaoyuan City 20260128.jpg, by JacobLyu, CC BY-SA 4.0