Special supplement: Economy and quality of life bloom in Changchun

Rapid economic growth, breakthroughs in State-owned enterprise (SOE) reform, improvements in urban facilities, impressive progress in social affairs - all are changes Changchun witnessed in the past five years.

The capital city of northeast China's Jilin province, Changchun's gross domestic product (GDP) doubled over five years to reach 207.3 billion yuan in 2007, while per capita GDP increased 12.5 percent on average annually over the same period to hit $3,695 last year.