Frost-tree Festival Opens in Northeast China City

An International Rimed-tree Ice-snow Festival opened Tuesday in this capital city of northeast China's Jilin Province.

Jilin always experiences extremely low temperatures during the winter season, and the phenomenon of trees becoming covered with rime has become a well-known scene that attracts both Chinese and overseas tourists.

Power stations upstream of the Soghua River heats the river water and produces fog, which later flows through the city, causing trees to crystallize with ice when it comes in contact with the fog, meteorologists explained.

Visitors from Russia, the United States, Japan, Indonesia and some other places in the world attended the opening ceremony on January 2 along with hundreds of Chinese people.

In addition to watching the rimed-trees, guests may participate in ice and snow sports, and other entertainment activities during the festival, which will last for over 40 days.

Experts said that the process the riming will help clean the air as dirt in the air is absorbed by the rime.

Rimed-trees appeared for about 60 times in a winter, local statistics show. But in this winter season, the number has jumped to over 100.






People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/