Mudanjiang aspires to be summer spot

The picturesque scenery of Wuhua Mountain in autumn and the peculiar tradition of ice fishing in winter are among attractions that have sparked a boom in tourism for Mudanjiang, a city in the southeastern part of Heilongjiang.

Local authorities aim to expand the city's appeal past the seasons of winter and fall by promoting it as a holiday resort in the summer, which is traditionally the busy season for tourism.

They plan to draw a combined investment of 2.06 billion yuan ($336 million) to fund tourism projects, an increase of 20 percent from 2012.