Changchun was named the Emperor Jiaqing of the Qing Dynasty in 1800. It was called as “Changchun Ting” at the time. Then in 1889, it was promoted as "Changchun Fu".
From 1905 to 1935, Changchun grew very quickly because it was the junction between of the Japanese-owned South Manchurian Railway and the Russian-owned Chinese Eastern Railway. In 1913, “Changchun Fu” upgraded into “Changchun County”, under the jurisdiction of Jilin Province. Then the September 18 Event broke up in 1931 and Japan invaded and occupied Manchuria. In the next year, Changchun became the capital of Manchukuo, a state in Manchuria. And it was renamed as Hsinking, meaning the New Capital. Hsinking was a well-developed city with avenues and modern infrastructure. And it was also the politics center, military center, economy center, and culture center of Manchukuo.
Soviet Red Army liberated Hsinking in 1945, defeating the Japanese invaders. In December 1945, Hsinking turned into as Changchun again. It is also in 1945 that Changchun is known as a city. And in 1954, the city became the capital city of Jilin Province, positioned as the province’s center of economy, politics, and culture.
After that, Changchun became the oldest film center the auto center in China. And in 2007, it hosted the 2007 Winter Asian Games.