Turn on the lens, the mushrooms take the stage

This northern river city always reminds people of the clusters of mushrooms sprouting among the white birch forests. This city is like a wild mushroom in the forest—simple in appearance but hiding a surprising historical depth.

🍄 The inseparable bond between mushrooms and Jilin
Walking along the Songhua River, locals often tell you, "Even the air after the rain here carries the scent of mushrooms." Jilin City, embraced by the remnants of Changbai Mountain, has always been a paradise for mushroom growth. During the Qing Dynasty, the local "Jilin Tribute Mushrooms" were once imperial tributes, transported by boat along the Songjiang waterway to the capital. You can find the ancient trail where tribute mushrooms were collected in Beishan Park, where the moss on the stone steps seems to still hold the footprints of mushroom pickers.

🏛️ The "mushrooms" hidden in the folds of history
1. Mushroom-shaped stone carvings at Jilin Confucian Temple
Built during the Qianlong era, the pillars at the Lingxing Gate of Jilin Confucian Temple are carved with exquisite mushroom patterns. These stone carvings left by Qing craftsmen are not only auspicious symbols but also prove the important status of mushrooms in Manchu culture. The guide says that scholars taking the imperial exams back then would touch these stone mushrooms, praying for "literary inspiration to grow like mushrooms."

2. The mushroom feast in a century-old residence
The Zhang family mansion in Chuan Chang Hutong preserves authentic Manchu mushroom cuisine traditions. The fourth-generation inheritor, Old Master Zhang, will tell you, "Our ancestors made 'Jade Soup' with elm yellow mushrooms, and even Empress Dowager Cixi praised it!" Now, every rainy season, the courtyard hosts mushroom-picking experiences, where you can learn from the elders to identify over thirty edible fungi in the forest—a rare wild delight in the city.

3. The fisherman's and woodcutter's legend of Songhua Lake
In the Fengman District by Songhua Lake, the story of "Mushroom Old Li" is still told. It is said that during the Republic of China era, a mushroom picker named Li always found large patches of matsutake mushrooms after heavy rains. Later, people learned he was using mushrooms to help feed starving villagers. Today, at the lakeside fishing inns, you can still taste fish soup cooked using the legendary "Old Li mushrooms."

Jilin City after the rain is always especially vivid. When the morning mist spreads over the river, you can almost see mushroom pickers carrying willow baskets passing through the thin veil of history. This city, which has written mushrooms into its DNA, is turning the gifts of the mountains and fields into warm urban stories in its unique way.

Post by Isabella Thompson+7 | Aug 12, 2025