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China Elevator Stories

Lamadian, Countryside of Jilin Province (China Travel)

I recently visited the countryside of Jilin Province near Siping.

09/05/2026

Ruth Silbermayr
Ruth Silbermayr

Author

Row of small houses with red tile roofs and a blue metal-roofed building, behind a tilled field and a low brick wall under a pale sky.

I recently took a bus from Siping to Lamadian, a small town about 50 minutes away from Siping by bus.

A small brick building with a red-tiled roof seen behind a black metal gate with red decorative panels and Chinese characters. A yellow circle sign is on the gate, and a blue awning covers the entrance. The scene is outdoors with a courtyard and sparse trees nearby.

It cost 10 yuan per person, and I took my children so they could also visit the countryside.

Rural scene showing a row of brown houses with red-tiled roofs behind a concrete wall, with a large red Chinese ad banner in the foreground edge.

The countryside here is very different from the countryside in Austria, and I have to say that I didn’t feel like visiting it again after this one visit.

Brick wall and gate enclosing a rural courtyard with a red car parked near a green-roofed house; a white greenhouse on the right and a clear blue sky above.

It wasn’t so much because of the run-down houses, but more because we stood out quite a bit and drew too much attention—something I am not a fan of.

Two trees in front of a tall brown wall with a white house and red roof visible beyond it in a suburban yard.

We talked a bit to a man who owned a shop and seemed more familiar with foreigners, but my kids, who are mixed, were also treated a bit differently because they aren’t fully Chinese.

White and blue modular house with a blue door in a rural landscape; an older brick building and plowed fields in the background, with a yellow bucket and chair outside.

They often experience this kind of treatment, but I thought they might enjoy running around the countryside a bit before we leave Jilin Province later this year.

Rural yard with a hay bale under a white tarp beside a brick wall and a solar-panel shed underneath a cloudy sky.

I am going to move to another province because the situation of having to work in Changchun three days a week and hiring a nanny isn’t ideal, and I can’t count on being able to make it back in time if there is an emergency.

Front view of a glass-walled greenhouse with a blue roof and a door, weeds growing along a brick walkway in front.

The weather has only recently turned warm and has almost shifted to summer conditions.

Brick wall in the foreground with a tidy backyard garden, budding trees, and a row of red-tiled roof houses in the distance under a blue sky.

We didn’t see any farmers, but many of the houses in the countryside come with a garden, and people seemed to have recently planted crops.

Red brick building with a curved, white plastic roof and a small brick niche on the wall, foreground shows rows of green onion-like plants in soil.

We only stayed about two hours, and if you ask me, this is definitely not a trip anyone needs to take, as the houses aren’t very beautiful and the countryside doesn’t have anything special to offer.

Bright blue corrugated metal building behind a low red brick wall on a dusty yard.

It may be interesting if one is specifically interested in the countryside of Jilin Province, but compared to some of the more well-visited places in the Chinese countryside, one should always choose a destination that is more beautiful and well regarded by tourists.

A gnarled tree trunk in the foreground beside a brick wall, with a construction yard and blue-roofed buildings beyond. Wires cross the scene.

I still wanted to share a few pictures here so you could check it out for yourself.

Front view of a single-story brick house with a red-tiled roof behind a long brick wall and a dirt yard.

Lamadian featured a tiny church, a few shops, restaurants, and houses, as well as a few companies producing building materials or similar products, and the pictures I took of the houses were taken mostly on my way to Lamadian.

Iron gate opens to a farmyard: chickens wander on a cobblestone path, a blue trailer, stacked firewood, and brick buildings under a pale blue sky
Brick gate and metal fence frame a backyard view of a glass-walled greenhouse-like structure with a red-tiled roof behind it.
Blue tractor-trailer parked on a dirt road beside a brick building under construction with concrete slabs nearby.
Row of closed storefronts with a blue metal roof, set in a dusty lot with power lines overhead.
Exterior of a burnt, soot-covered building with two curved vents and a blue weathered door beside it
A single-story house with a red tiled roof and patterned exterior walls, a central door, and large windows; a tall ceramic pot sits on a circular concrete pad in front.
Busy street market in China with vendors selling vegetables on the sidewalk and cars parked along the curb under a pale sky, a motorbike in the foreground.
Red SUV parked on a gravel lot beside a storefront with a shuttered window and a Chinese sign on a pole.
Old brick building with a teal door, torn posters, and cracked sidewalk debris outside.
Storefront with glass doors and red Chinese banners, stacked green crates outside

Have you ever been to the countryside of Jilin Province?

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