Liaoyuan, city (1994 est. pop. 377,300), SW Jilin prov., China, on the railroad connecting Changchun and Dalian. It is a coal-mining center with a large thermal generating plant. Chemicals, plastics, and textiles are also produced. It was the capital of Liaobei prov. from 1945 to 1949; from 1949 to 1954 it was part of Liaodong prov.

Liaoyuan is a prefecture-level city located in Jilin province, People's Republic of China. Liaoyuan city lies some 120 km south-west of Changchun, the capital of Jilin province, and has an population of 1,267,033 (including rural region, 2000) and 462,233 (urban alone, 2000).

Coal mining used to contribute an important part of the local economy. However after 1997, because of the exhaustion of coal resource, the economy of this city was brought to a standstill. Fortunately, the city succeeded in transforming its economic structure from a mining-oriented one to a light manufacturing oriented one. At present, the city is the biggest sock-manufacturing center in northestern China.

On December 16, 2005, a fire in a hospital killed at least 39 people, 33 of whom were patients. The cause of the fire is unknown. (BBC)

Administrative divisions

• Longshan District (龙山区)
• Xi'an District (西安区)
• Dongliao County (东辽县)
• Dongfeng County (东丰县)

External links

• Official website of Liaoyuan Government