Changchun

Jingyuetan Forest Park Escape Address – Southeast of the city, near Jingyue Development Zone Highlights – We slip out of the city and into Jingyuetan, one of Asia’s largest man-made forest parks. Pines tower overhead, and a quiet lake opens before us like glass. The path winds through woodland so thick we can almost forget we’re in a provincial capital. In winter, cross-country skiers glide by. In summer, dragonflies skim the water. It’s not touristy—it’s just vast, quiet, and ours. Vibe Match – Like we wandered into the Black Forest with a Seoul forest reserve’s accessibility: vast, earthy, and quietly cinematic. Rating Suggestion – 8.9/10 Cultural Square & Light Rail Reverie Address – Chaoyang District (Cultural Square Station) Highlights – We begin at Cultural Square, a massive open plaza once meant for Soviet-style parades. Now, kids skateboard across granite tiles, old men fly kites, and couples share roasted yams under the trees. We hop on the light rail nearby—not to go anywhere urgent, just to ride and watch the city drift by: flat rooftops, red banners, parked bikes, silent factories. Vibe Match – Like Tiananmen meets a Milan piazza, with a dash of Tokyo’s Yamanote Line loop: monumental, local, and strangely meditative. Rating Suggestion – 8.4/10 Changchun World Sculpture Park Twilight Walk Address – No. 9518 Renmin Street, Nanguan District Highlights – We arrive just before dusk, when the light slips low over sculptures scattered across grassy slopes. From modernist stone faces to delicate bronze dancers, each piece feels like it’s halfway between silence and speech. We stroll the lakefront path, catching reflections of statues and skyline. Fewer people now. The wind picks up. It’s quietly moving. Vibe Match – Like we wandered an open-air MoMA on the outskirts of a second-tier Nordic capital: conceptual, quiet, and beautifully out of the way. Rating Suggestion – 8.8/10