Soft rime in Jilin
Ice crystals that condense on tree branches when frost meets water vapor are known as rime, snow willows or ice flowers.
It is strongly recommended that travelers to Jilin take the opportunity to witness the beauty of soft rime covering the province's many forests.
The soft rime in Jilin has been hailed as one of the four natural marvels in China. The other three are the natural beauty of Guilin, the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, and the stone forest in Yunnan province.
Soft rime is mostly seen along the Songhua River side, near the city of Jilin. The rime is created when the cold atmosphere meets the warm river to form masses of moisture.
Winter in Jilin is cold. The temperature usually remains around minus 25 C. However, though the Songhua River is freezing, the water released from the river dam has a temperature of 4 C, which immediately creates masses of fog along the riverside once the water is released due to temperature difference.
Soft rime is a white deposition of ice that forms when the water droplets in light, frezing fog or mist freeze to the outer surfaces of objects, such as branches. The fog usually freezes to the windward side of tree branches.
As the Songhua River flows through the city of Jilin, the city looks glorious with the frost lingering on all the plants. Soft rime is quite rare in China because the two conditions are not easily met. It requires low temperatures in the area as well as a river that does not freeze in the winter.
According to the Jilin weather station, soft rime usually starts to form in November each year and lasts until the following March. Each year when the rime season arrives, areas along the Songhua River in Jilin seem to be suddenly covered with white pear flowers. The pure, wet and cold scene is something you will never forget.
Clear-Moon Lake
Jingyuetan, or Clear-Moon Lake, is located in the southeastern part of Changchun city, Jilin province, about 12 kilometers from the city's downtown. The lake got its name because it is shaped like a quarter moon, and it looks pure and bright.
It is in fact an artificial lake. The construction of the lake started in the 1930s as a way to solve the city's water supply problems. In order to bring more water to the city of Changchun, a 550 meter dam was built to cut a tributary of the Yitong River and collect water in the middle of three mountains. Thus, Clear-Moon Lake was built amid the mountains.
One important feature of the lake is that it contains various kinds of plants and forests, which is why it is hailed as the lung of the city. Before 1958, the lake was the city's only surface water resource, and so it was considered the heart of the city as well.
In order to preserve the lake during that time, local people built a manmade forest, which occupies about 8,000 hectares of land. It was known as the largest manmade forest at the time.
Today, Clear-Moon Lake and its surrounding forests are known as the "green pearl of Asia" for people overseas. It has also become one of the most popular destinations for winter skiing. It is the venue where the International Vasaloppet Ice and Snow Festival is held every year.
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