IEEE ICMA 2009
General Information

Jilin

Jilin is a province in the North East of China, It is bordered by Heilongjiang on the north, Liaoning to the south, Inner Mongolia on the west and North Korea on the east. It covers an area of about 187,400 sq km, 2% of the total country area. This location gives Jilin Province its favorable temperate climate, which includes a lengthy winter with snow that can start as early as October and last until April. Despite the winter cold, people flock to this area for the Ice Lantern Festival and the winter sports. Jilin is known as an area for winter sports and has produced some of the best ski resorts in China. However, Jilin has many other natural and historical attractions to entertain its residents and visitors.

Jilin is a united multi-ethnic province of 49 ethnic groups including Han, Korean, Manchu, Mongolian, Hui, Xibo and so on, with a total population of 27.085 million. The Korean ethnic group lives mainly in the cities of Yanbian, Jilin, Tonghua and Baishan; the Mongolian ethnic group and Xibo, in Baicheng and SongYuan; the Manchu and Hui, in Changchun, Jilin, Tonghua and Siping.

The province, from the east to the west is divided into four ecological areas – primitive forests stretching in the Changbai Mountains, secondary vegetation covers in the hilly central and eastern part, the SongLiao Plains in central part, and grasslands and wetland in west Jilin. With a high forest cover rate, an intact ecological system, rich fauna and flora, and abundant precipitation, the Changbai Mountains in east Jilin forms a major protection screen for the eco-environment of Jilin province and of the entire northeast China as well. Dense secondary woods and man-made forests cover the hilly east and central Jilin, endowing a major section of the Songhua River with rich water and mineral resources. With its flat and fertile land protected by a complete chain of shelter forests, and with all the fine conditions for the cultivation of quality farm produce, the Songliao Plain in the central part is a major grain producing centre nicknamed “Golden Corn Belt” and “homeland of Soybeans”. As extensions of the Horqin Grassland, the grassland and wetland in the west are vast and abound in subterranean and passing water, form an ecological transition belt between a moderately moist forests-grassland and a semi-arid grassland-desert area, and provides a major passageway for migrating birds. The low-lying terrain of Jilin receives plenty of sunshine and solar heat, and has vast potentials for developing agriculture and animal husbandry.

Changchun

Changchun is the capital of Jilin province and although Changchun has been more than 200 years old, it is still a young city comparing other historical cities in China, like Xian. It is located the central part of Songliao Plain, covering a total area of 20,571 square kilometers (about 8,012 square miles). Being the capital city of Jilin Province with a population of more than 6 million, it is one of the major cities in Northeast China and is the largest center for China's automotive industry. If territory of China is in a shape of rooster, therefore Changchun is one eye of this huge rooster. You can imagine its important position. Changchun has long, cold winters with the temperature dropping as low as -30°C; there is little snow, but the city is very windy and the air is dry. The present Changchun is charming city with several fine names which can give you a general impression of this big city.

Spring City of Northland: Changchun is of monsoon climate, locating in the transitional belt from wet area to sub-dry area. The four seasons varies a lot and the climate is rather pleasant, therefore Changchun is honored Spring City of Northland.

Forest City: Woods, forest, people, city interweave together to show you a distinctive characteristic of Changchun. 39% of Changchun ground has been clothed with greenage, which makes Changchun one of top cities in this aspect. Green plants in and around Changchun make the city become a big oxygen bar, providing people to enjoy real fresh air.

Barn: Spring is dry and windy; summer is wet and rainy; autumn is sunny and cool; winter is cold. Generally speaking rain and heat come in the same season. Besides, favorable climate and enough sunshine provide very good condition for the growth of crops. Changchun teems with corn and soybean; therefore it is praised as barn.

City of Automobiles: Changchun is the cradle of Chinese automobile industry, a famous auto city in China. On July 13, 1956, a truck branded with Jiefang was produced, which opened a new age for Chinese auto industry. This truck was the first automobile entirely made by Chinese. Famous and Changchun International Automobile Fair makes Changchun a real City of Automobiles.

City of Films: Changchun Film Studio was the first one after the found of People's Republic of China. It is praised as the cradle of Chinese film industry. For dozens of years, a great many excellent domestic films and dubbed films were produced here which gained a good fame for Changchun Film Studio both at home and abroad. As a calling card of Changchun, ceremonious Changchun Film Festival has enhanced its honor.

Hotel Information

lShangri-La Hotel, Changchun

IEEE ICMA 2009 will be held in the city of Changchun, at Shangri-La Hotel, Changchun, which serves as both the official conference hotel and the venue for the technical program. Being the first and only international 5 star hotel, Shangri-La Hotel, Changchun, Shangri-La Hotel, located in the centre of Changchun, the hotel's 458 guest rooms and 98 fully serviced apartments provide a convenient, private and quiet haven. The hotel sits at the junction of Chongqing Road and Xian Road-the financial, business and entertainment center of Changchun city. Shangri-La Hotel, Changchun features the city's largest ballroom, along with 7 function rooms in various sizes and several fine restaurants, making it a focal point for virtually any traveler visiting the city.

lChangchun Maxcourt Hotel

For student and budget travelers, ICMA 2009 has arranged accommodation at Changchun Maxcourt Hotel with very affordable rates. Within walking distance to the Shangri-La Hotel, Changchun, This hotel is clean but its facilities are relatively primitive, so we recommend this hotel only to domestic student icma2009 participants.

Attractions

lChangbai Mountains

The Changbai Mountains Nature Reserve in east Jilin Province should be the first natural scenery of Jilin Province. Because there are a lot of white pumices and snow on the chief mountain-"Bai Tou Shan", it got its name "Changbai Shan". To the people of north China, Changbai Mountains is a "Mother Mountain", because it is not only the origin of Manchu, but also the cradle of Songhua, Tumen and Yalu rivers. It is the supporting living environment of diverse northeast generations. Now, this "Holy Mountain" has been a protection screen for the eco- environment of some northeast areas. The Tianchi Lake is the most famous spot of Changbai Mountains which was formed by the volcano. Because of its high elevation (height above see level 2194 meters), people called it "Lake of Heaven".

lXiang Hai

Another nature preserve in Jilin is Xianghai on the edge of the Songliao Plain and in Tongyu County in eastern Horqin Grassland. This preserve contains more than 100 swamps of varying sizes, a wide variety of fish, more than 250 different herbal plants, and a wide variety trees. Xianghai Nature Reserve is the natural habitat for 293 kinds of precious birds, including six breeds of cranes. The idyllic prairie and the local Mongol folklore combine to make this bird watching place a very fascinating place.

lImperial Palace of Puppet Manchurian State

Pu Yi, the last Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, lived in Chang Chun, the capital city of Jilin, in an Imperial Palace for 14 years (1931 - 1945). This luxurious palace, which also was the administrative departments of the 'Puppet Manchurian Government’, has hills, gardens, ponds, swimming pools, and various other forms of recreational facilities. The architecture and design of this 12-hectare (30-acre) palace is a worthy site to visit for its beauty and unique historical importance. Photographs of the emperor, his weddings, wives, parents, and English teacher are on display in the museum.

Weather

The climate of Changchun is in the transition belt between the eastern humid hilly region and the western semiarid flat region, a continental sub humid monsoon climate of medium latitudes.

The east and the south are not far away from the sea, yet Changbai Mountain obstructs and slacks down summer monsoon; the west and the north are the flat Songliao Plain, continental polar airs from Siberia proceed without hindrance and various monsoons have serious effect here.

So the climate characteristics here are: it is very long and extremely cold in winter; it is dry and windy in spring; it is very short and warm in summer; and it is sunny and cloudless but the difference in temperature is very large in autumn. Usually, the maximum temperature 33℃ in August and the minimum temperature -29℃ in February. Annual temperature changes significantly, with distinctive four seasons.

The best time for traveling is in summer and autumn.

Transportation

lChangchun Longjia International Airport

Changchun Longjia International Airport, is around 35 km east of Changchun's city center. The airport is large and clean, and passengers can find standard amenities such as restaurants, cafes, shops, lounges, credit card acceptance, etc. The major routes throughout the day are to domestic destinations Shanghai (2:20h) and Beijing (1:40h). There are also some international flights to various destinations in Korea (Seoul; ICN - with Asiana) and Japan (Nagoya with CZ).

From the airport there are some regular coach services (RMB 20 each way) available to the centre (e.g. People's Square). The travel time takes around 45 minutes. A Taxi to/from the city costs RMB 80-100 including the toll.

lPublic Bus Service

Changchun has an extensive bus network and most of the buses cost only RMB 1. However if those who can't read Chinese will find it nearly impossible to use the network as the signage is all in Chinese characters. Most buses go to the bus station outside the train station, and other central areas such as Guilin Lu Chongqing Lu and Hongqi Jie. Be aware that the buses are often extremely crowded and especially uncomfortable during the hot summers as there is no air conditioning.

Taxis are cheaper than most in other Chinese cities and the fare starts at RMB 5 up to 2.5km, then RMB 2 per kilometer respectively. Changchun has lots of one-way streets, so don't panic if it seems your driver is lapping the block.

Useful Information

lLanguage: Official language is Mandarin and most people also use their local dialect. The standard spoken Chinese is Putonghua. English can be understood by many young people and is used in hotels and big restaurants. In all tourist hotels, staff can speak in English, Japanese and other languages. They can also write down addresses or instructions in Chinese for taxi drivers or others. In addition, roads in major cities are signposted in Pinyin, the official Romanization system of the Chinese characters, which makes it quite easy to get around with the help of a map.

lCurrency: Renminbi (RMB) is the only currency to be used in China. RMB is also called Chinese Yuan. The unit of Renminbi is yuan and with smaller denominations called jiao and fen. The conversion among the three is: 1 yuan = 10 jiao = 100 fen. Paper notes are issued in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 50 and 100 yuan; 1, 2 and 5 jiao; and 1, 2 and 5 fen. Coins are issued in denominations of 1 yuan; 5 jiao; and 1, 2 and 5 fen.

Money exchanges by cash or traveler’s cheques can be made at the branches of Bank of China at Changchun Longjia International Airport, hotels and tourist stores. Please remember to keep the receipt to exchange back to foreign currency when leaving China.

lCredit Cards: Visa, Master Card and American Express are the most commonly used in China. Cards can be used in most middle to top-range hotels, Friendship and department stores, but they cannot be used to finance your transportation costs.

lTime: GMT + 8 hours (the whole of China is set to Beijing time)

lElectricity: Electricity is 220 Volts, 50 AC; plugs can be three-pronged angled, three-pronged round, two flat pins or two narrow round pins.

lWater: Bottled mineral water can easily be bought in all stores and street kiosks for RMB3. And sometimes hotels provide it free of charge. Furthermore, potable water is only available in a few 4 to 5 star hotels, while water in thermos flasks in rooms is usually non-potable tap water.

lMeasurement: In Metric system

lTipping: Tipping is not customary outside of the foreign joint-venture hotels and is officially discouraged. But hotel bellboys usually expect RMB 2 – 5 per bag.

lAttention: Smoking is prohibited in public places in Changchun, such as hospitals, office buildings, theatres, cinemas, museums, planes, and trains

lHotlines: 110 - Police;119 – Fire;120 – Ambulance

Conference Information

Venues

IEEE ICMA 2009 will be held in the city of Changchun, at Shangri-La Hotel, Changchun, which serves as both the official conference hotel and the venue for the technical program.

Shangri-La Hotel, Changchun is the city's only international luxury hotel. The hotel sits at the junction of Chongqing Road and Xian Road-the financial, business and entertainment center of Changchun city. Shangri-La Hotel, Changchun features the city's largest ballroom, along with 7 function rooms in various sizes and several fine restaurants, making it a focal point for virtually any traveler visiting the city. Wireless internet access is available throughout function spaces and public areas.

Chinese Address Cards

Conference Registration

A conference registration desk will be set up and opened at the Pre-Function Area of Shangri-La hotel during the following hour:

August 9, 2009: 09:00 ~ 18:30

August 10, 2009: 08:00 ~ 18:00

August 11, 2009: 08:00 ~ 18:00

August 12, 2009: 08:00 ~ 16:00

Exhibition

The Exhibition will be held from 15:00 on August 9 to 16:00 on August 12 at the Pre-Function Area of Shangri-La hotel.

Internet Access

Free Internet access will be provided during the conference period, to the IEEE icma2009 participants at the Conference Room on 2nd floor of the Shangri-La Hotel. Broadband Internet access services are also provided at the conference hotels for a fee. For the fee information, please contact the hotel you are staying directly.

Special and Social Events

The social events organized by the IEEE icma2009 include the conference reception, the awards banquet, the conference registration, the farewell party, etc.

Conference Reception

The Conference Reception will be held from 17:30 to 18:30 on August 9, 2009 at the Ballroom 3, 2^nd floor of Shangri-La hotel. All the conference participants are welcome to join this event.

Welcome Party

The Welcome Party will be held from 18:30 to 20:30 on August 10, 2009 in Changchun Maxcourt Hotel. All the conference participants are welcome to join this event.

Awards Banquet

The Awards Banquet will be held from 18:30 to 21:00 on August 11, 2009 at Grand Ballroom (Ballroom II) of the Shangri-La hotel. All the conference participants are welcome to join this event.

Farewell Party

The Farewell Party will be held from 17:20 to 18:30 on August 12, 2009 at Ballroom 1 of the Shangri-La hotel. All the conference participants are welcome to join this event.