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Crystal world of ice By Li Jing (Beijing Weekend) Updated: 2004-11-18 17:10
Northeast China is becoming the ideal place for skiing and snowboard fans;
the professional ski slopes are opening up early with the remarkable change in
the weather.
But there is more to expect on a visit to Jilin Province:
the chance to watch Jilin in rime, considered to be one of the four Great
Natural Wonders of China. The three others are the natural landscapes of Guilin,
Yunnan's Stone Forests and the Three Gorges by the Yangtze River.
Unique
compared to the other three wonders is that the rime over the trees and lake is
not apparent every moment of every day. Like the aurora borealis, it is
dependent on the weather, time, and season.
So on a trip to see the rime
of Northeast China, take advantage of the patience and time to wander.
The Songhua River, flowing through the city of Jilin, does not freeze in
the severe cold, so the pines and willows along its banks are lined with fine
luminescent water, a beautiful scene of ice lustres like crystal jade.
The 550-square-kilometre Songhua Lake in southeast Jilin City is part of
a national scenic resort, with water and monolithic mountains. The river and
lake look exceptionally attractive, with shadow the only definitive that
distinguishes the trees from its transparent icy cover.
Weedy fence rows,
cascading embankments and moist, open woodlands all lend their potential to be a
frost-flower site.
The natural spectacle is usually found between
November and January, the only time the condensed moisture can convert to water
before freezing, with amorphous frost and glaze. Frost flowers form when
moisture within the stem of a plant freezes.
The embankments along the
river and lake are the best place to pursue a myriad of frost-flowers in
bloom.
Only a few species of plants produce frost flowers, and,
naturally, the formations never occur in exactly the same manner from one year
to the next, let alone one night to the next. This is what makes finding them so
special.
Willow trees, pines and white crownbeards are excellent frost
flower prospects. They only have a brief life span, so early morning is the best
time to find them. The first rays of the sun soften their delicate edges
and, well before noon, they melt away completely. Patience is a virtue. If you
have to wait another day for the wonderment of rime, the snow paradise of Jilin
City is full of interesting spectacles.
Colourful ice lanterns decorate
the streets, and fireworks light up the evening through frost-framed windows.
The Jilin Rime and Snow-ice Festival has been held five times since
1991, usually held between December and late January. The festival opens the
doors for economic and trade departments and enterprises to introduce
themselves, discussing, showing, buying and selling all kinds of products and
services.
There is an ice sports complex in the centre of town. The city
opens a tourist snow ground and ice entertainment arena on North Hill and
Rosefinch Hill. Songhua Lake, Beida Lake and Lianhua Lake ski slopes are the
best-equipped professional sites for skiing aficionados.
Tens of
thousands of people come here to ride sleds pulled by horses, dogs, and deer, to
play and peruse when not on the slopes.
Songhua Lake Ski resort, 24 km
away from downtown Jilin is now open to skiers, from late November to next
April.
The Beida Lake Resort, 56 km away from downtown Jilin, is a centre
for sports and tourism that provides contests, training, tourist and aerobic
activities.
If you have enough time, we strongly suggest staying one or
two days in Changchun, the capital city of Jilin Province, 60 km from Jilin city
centre.
Local guides recommend seeing the Puppet State Imperial Palace
and Motion Picture City.
Changchun used to be the capital of the
puppet "Manchukuo State," rigged by Japanese invaders. During his
1932-1945 tenure as a bogus emperor, Aisin Gioro Pu Yi has left his legacy
there, including his imperial palace, the puppet state council building, with
many other large buildings emulating the style.
The well-known Changchun
Film Studio, where many outstanding movies have been made, lures visitors with a
series of tourist and recreational programmes related to the motion picture
industry. It also contains Asia's largest indoor film studio.
Getting
there: Flights are available from Beijing to Jilin City (eight flights from 8:10
am - 9 pm every day). Songhua Lake is near downtown, and easy to walk to see the
rimed landscape in the morning. To reach the Beida Lake Ski Slopes, taking a
taxi is the easiest way, a 40-minute ride that will cost around 100 yuan
(US$12).
Songhua Lake Ski Resort is closer. There is a direct shuttle
bus from the long-distance bus station. The journey takes about 70 minutes, and
costs 3 yuan (US$0.36 ).
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