The cool delights of China's summer getaway

Summer in China can be brutal. Between July and September, most of China is swept by unbearable heat that can bake cookie dough if you leave it in a car parked in the midday sun. When the temperature is soaring and backpackers are trapped in air-conditioned rooms desperately planning their journey to Siberia, a province in North China offers the perfect alternative - Jilin, China's summer getaway.

Surrounded by China's most iconic ecological reserves - the Changbai Mountains in the east, Songliao Plain in the center and the vast prairie in the west - summer in Jilin rarely exceeds 22 C, winning this province the title of Summer of 22 C.

Its rich farmland known as "black soil", pollution-free air and mountain forests attract many foreign and domestic tourists each year. The Changbai Mountains are Jilin's must-see landmark and a national 5A scenic tourism destination. The highest peak in the range reaches 2,691 meters and is covered by white rocks and thick snow throughout the year. Overlooking the border with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the majestic mountains offer a fascinating landscape of forest, volcano vents and wetlands.