Tonghua, also T'ung-hua or Tunghwa, city, northeastern China, in Jilin Province. It is an industrial center situated in a forested, mountainous region. Major manufactures include paper and machinery. Coal, limestone, and iron ore are mined here for shipment to the great Anshan iron and steel complex in Liaoning Province.
Tonghua was founded in the 19th century. Modern industrialization began in the 1930s when the city was part of Japanese-controlled Manchukuo (1932-45) and continued under Chinese direction after 1949. Tonghua was the capital of the former Antung Province during 1937-43. It became part of Liaoning Province in 1949 and was transferred to Jilin in 1954. Population (1991) 403,962.
