Songhua Lake
Songhua Lake is in the southeastern part of the city of Jilin, 10 kilometers from the downtown area, with the Fengman Hydropower Station built by the Japanese using a dam built in 1937 on the Songhua River, and is now a national tourism demonstration site. It is 200 kilometers long and only 10 kilometers wide at its widest point, with many arms going off it, covering a 554-square-kilometer area, with an average depth of 22 meters and 77.5 meters at its deepest. The scenic area covers 700-sq-km.
The lake has a distinct climate for the four seasons and a beautiful landscape that has drawn in a large number of tourists from China and abroad. In 1988, the lake was added to the list of national scenic spots. The zone has 10 scenic spots, several health care institutes, and many tourist attractions, such as Camel Peak, Wuhu Island, Sleeping Dragon Pool, Stone Dragon Wall, and Ehe Island.
Camel Peak
Camel Peak, which is close to the dam, resembles a camel crouching above the river, while Stone Dragon Wall is along the middle section of the lake, about 40 km from the dam, with 20-meter-tall stone walls along the two sides of the lake for 6 km, forming reflections in the lake that seem like sleeping dragons.
Five Tiger Island
This is the best known island in the lake zone, 17 kilometers from the dam, covering a 0.5-sq–km piece of land. it has two parts, east and west, that are connected by a bridge and resembles five tigers playing on the lake. Its bridges, viewing places, pavilions, and restaurants were developed in May 2012 to make it a good place for swimming, fishing, canoeing and picnicking.
Tortoise Island
This island is also well-known, covering a 500-sq-m area close to the dam and resembling a big turtle swimming on the water.
The Songhua Lake Forest
This lake is surrounded by thick forests that cover 300,000 hectares, or 72 percent of the lake zone. Standing in the serene mountain forest gives the feeling of being on a green sea and an intoxicating experience. The birds, rabbits, deer, leopards and hedgehogs all add to the landscape and it contains medicinal herbs, such as ginseng, astragalus, fritillaria, codonopsis, rhizoma gastrodiae, and fructus schisandrae, as well as wild plants, whose flowers make it look like a painting and give off a pleasant fragrance.
Ashihada Cliff inscriptions
These cliff inscriptions from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) are engraved on two tablets on a granite cliff at the side of the river downstream, one facing south on a ridge, the other about 30 meters from the first, facing west. The first, 1.35 meters high and 0.7 meters wide, is 10 meters above the water, the second is is 1.22 meters high. Both are protected by pavilions, where tourists can relax and do some sightseeing. The tablets and pavilions create an elegant landscape.
Qingshan Ski Resort
This resort, to the southwest of the Fengman Hydropower Station, is China's biggest ice and snow facility. It is alongside Songhua Lake on Daqing Mountain, 984 meters above sea level, with a maximum 33 degree gradient. The snowy area covers 2.5 square kilometers, with two ski trails, one 3,050 meters long, the other 2,600 meters. It has a 1,776-meter cable lift with single-person seats. The terrain at the bottom is flat with grass that provides a green carpet. The resort has locker rooms and rest areas as well as ski equipment and sleds. The best timer for skiing is December to February.
