A winter wonderland

Jilin

Located in the middle of Northeast China, Jilin's winter is neither too cold nor warm enough to melt the ice and snow.

Gavert Waag, founder of Sweden Nordic Ways Company, which introduced cross-country ski races (called "vasaloppet") to China, says Jilin is the best place for winter sports.

Vasaloppet is the world's oldest and largest cross-country ski race.

The first event in China opened in 2007 at the Changchun Jingyuetan ski resort, attracting only about 750 competitors. But the 2009 competition drew more than 20,000 winter sports fans and more than 2,000 professional skiers.

Jilin has more than 20 ski resorts, including Beidahu, Lianhuashan, Jingyuetan, Changbai Mountains, Songhua Lake, Beishan and Jinchang.

Being home to so many top-notch resorts, the province hosted the snow and ice events of the 2007 Asian Winter Games.

In addition to skiing, visitors can enjoy hot spring bathing, explore rime-sheathed landscapes, dogsledding, snowmobiling, ice fishing and snowfield golfing.

Ice fishing

People fish year-round in Chagan, one of China's 10 largest freshwater lakes.

Local fisherman pock the lake with several large holes, through which they drop nets and can reportedly nab up to 50,000 kg of fish in one haul.

Those who live on the lake claim to be able to tell the size of the fish under the surface by the bubbles they release.

The lake is about two hours' drive from Changchun.

Rime

Jilin city - named after the province in which it is located - is home to a type of rime found nowhere else in the world.

The landscapes on the banks of the Songhua River are swathed with particularly magnificent rime, and Wusong Island is known as the best place to take in such vistas.

Rime only appears in the cold of morning, so those who hope to see it should head out before 8 am.

Changbai Mountains

The Changbai Mountains are known for unpredictable weather.

Near the peak, the Lake of Heaven is often concealed behind a veil of clouds and mist. So only the particularly fortunate get the chance to view this picturesque body of water.

An improvement of infrastructure and services on the mountainsides has made them a must-see for visitors to Jilin.