Along the border of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea lie the Changbai Mountains. They feature the highest peak in eastern Eurasia, at about 2,750 meters high. And it's where you'll find the sources of the Songhua, Tumen and Yalu rivers. The breathtakingly beautiful view there has granted it the name of Hanging Garden.
A waterfall in the Changbai Mountains in autumn. /VCG Photo
The Tianchi Lake in the Changbai Mountains is the world’s highest crater lake, over 2,000 meters above sea level, it covers an area of nearly 10 square kilometers. Massive primitive forests covered the mountainsides in summer. As the altitude rises, you will see a variety of vegetation that is often seen from the northern temperate region to the Arctic Circle.
The past summer saw colorful flowers covering the mountains. Every summer, it takes just two months for these wild flowers to sprout and blossom, covering areas from the slopes to the mountaintops.
Changbai Mountains covered in snow in winter. /VCG Photo
Thousands of species inhabit the area as well. Chinese mergansers are among them. The species is as rare as the panda. This year around 300 Chinese mergansers have come a long way to settle in the Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve.
With total bans on logging and hunting, protection of the nature reserve has been strengthened. Now the ecological system has improved and more rare wild animals have appeared. The Changbai Mountains are becoming more and more beautiful.