Mudanjiang lies in the southeastern part of Heilongjiang Province. As the largest city in East Heilongjiang and the third largest city in Heilongjiang, it is an important node for the big alleyway and the continental railway between Asia and Europe.
　　The city is named after a river that crosses its downtown. The Mudan River is the biggest tributary of the Songhua River. The “Mudan” came from the Manchurian language, meaning “twisted and curved”. Therefore the “Mudan River” refers to “twisted and curved river”, depicting the feature of this river. Mudanjiang City stands in the central part of the “triangular area” of China, Russia and North Korea. It is the largest trade center of China to Russia.
　　The central part of the city is located in the basin valley of the Mudan River. The whole area is occupied by undulate hills, through which flows the Mudan River. This unique feature creates the beautiful scenes of Mudanjiang City.
　　 Jingbo Lake
　　The Jingbo Lake (Mirror Berth Lake) is the largest high-mountain quake lake in China and the second largest quake lake in the world. It could serve as a famous travel, summer and recuperation place. The Jingbo Lake was formed when the volcano erupted and the erupted lava barraged the ancient bed of Mudan River 5000 years ago. It is a famous place of interest in China and the world geopark.
　　There is a fairy tale about the Jingbo Lake. In ancient times, there was a beautiful and kind fairy living by the Mudan River. She had a magic mirror, from which she could know where people were suffering. She could eliminate people’s banes just by shining this place with her mirror. This was known by the Queen Mother of the West, who lived in the Heaven. She was very jealous and sent a theft to steal the mirror. Then the fairy went to the heaven to take the magic mirror back. The two had a conflict, during which the mirror fell from the heaven and became the Jingbo Lake.
　　The whole lake looks like a butterfly. The face of the lake is like a mirror. That’s why it got this name. More interestingly, there is a waterfall in the lake. The lake bottom formed by the lava has some rifts and gaps, from which the lake water flows down, forming the grand and spectacular Diaoshuilou Waterfall.
　　The waterfall is 20 meters high and about 200 meters wide. Against the waterfall a pavilion was built on a rock, on which people can see the waterfall directly. In the pavilion, people can see the silver-like streams of water falling from the top, hitting the ground pool and stirring up numerous mini waves. The thunder-like sound reminds people of the power of nature.
　　Apart from the Diaoshuilou Waterfall, there are many other things worth seeing. One of them is the Dagu Mountain (Big Lonely Mountain). It is actually a granite island a part of which stands above the water of the lake. It looks like a bull that crouches on the lake and drinks the water.
　　The island is covered by forests and bushes. Some old trees growing on the edge of the island have their roots exposed since the earth and stone that used to wrap up them have been washed away by the water. A small path led to the highest position of the island. On the top people can see the full view of the island as well as how the island is combined with water.
　　Opposite the Dagu Mountain is a small reef named Xiaogu Mountain. It is actually a part of Dagu Mountain that was peeled off the main body long ago. The rock looks like a hedgehog. Being small and exquisite, the Xiaogu Mountain is listed as one of the eight best scenes of Jingbo Lake.
　　 The Crater National Park
　　There is a 1000-meter-high mountain standing 50 kilometers north from the lake. When people climb to the top of the mountain, they will see several big craters, which are 400-550 meters long in diameter and 100-200 meters in depth. What’s more surprising is that trees are growing inside these craters and covering their internal parts. These are the world-known underground forests. There are various kinds of trees here, along with a lot of precious medi- cal herbs and animals.
　　People can not only see the forests from the top of the craters, but also descend into the forests through manmade staircases hung to the crag. When they reach the bottom of craters, they will find that the flat grounds actually hides many fusing holes. The temperature inside the holes is different from the outside world as people can find ice in summer or hot water in winter.
　　
　　The Lion Cave is the most famous place in the underground forests. Many of photos, including those trademark photos of the forests, were taken there. Inside the cave there is a huge rock called “Xiao Shi”, literally “Roaring Tiger Rock”. The name is related with legend. It is said that once nine tigers fought against one giant bear in this cave and the tigers won the battle at last. The whole cave is 70 meters and a string of stone staircases go through it. On one entrance of the cave there is a tilia amurensis. The tree took a strange shape and was named “Greeting-guest Tree” or “Peacock Tree”. The other entrance is highlighted by a strange plant growing on the cliff. It is called “Volcano Flower” and its fruit is said to be able to cure a lot of diseases.
　　Some lava tunnels are found 13 kilometers southeast of the underground forests, which add more mystery to the Jingbo Lake. These tunnels are formed due to a volcanic eruption 4000-8000 years ago. These tunnels are tens of meters to over 500 meters long. Inside the tunnels there are stalactites forming beautiful pictures inside the caves.
　　 The World of Snow
　　As a northeastern city in China, Mudanjiang is famous for its scenic spots related with snow.
　　 1. The Snow Fortress
　　The Snow Fortress is located in the island of Mudan River. Each year, there is a festival of snow sculptures held here, on which people can see different kinds of snow sculptures. The Snow Fortress is a manmade scenic spot. The government of Mudanjiang City made great investment and efforts to build a world-known tourism brand. When the festival is started, this place will become the world of snow, showing the ultimate charm of Northeast China to people from the world.
　　 2. China’s Snow Town
　　It is located in the Shuangfeng forestry farm in a town of Mudanjiang City. This place covers 500 hectares. Influenced by the current of air from the Japanese Sea and the cool air from the Lake Baikal, the snowfall period of this place can last 7 months and the snowfall is the greatest in China. That’s why it is called China’s Snow Town.
　　There is a skiing park built in the Snow Town. It has a skiing lane that is 450 meters long and 50 meters wide. This skiing lane is the best for the new skiers. Apart from skiing, this is also a good place for photographing. Several photos featuring snow taken in this place have won the international awards.
　　
　　 3. Hengdao Skiing Park
　　Even though the Snow Town has the largest snowfall in China, it is not the greatest skiing park in Mudanjiang. This place is taken by Hengdao Skiing Park, which is the largest and best equipped. Moreover, it is open to tourists for a whole year.
　　The Skiing Park was initially built in May 1998 and after several expansions, now it covers 300 thousand square meters. The whole park is divided into three areas: the entertainment area, the comprehensive service area, and the villa area. The entertainment area includes a 1800-meter-long professional skiing lane, where people at different levels can enjoy skiing there. In addition, there are also cable cars, aerial cross-country snowmobiles.
　　The comprehensive area and villa area mainly provide services of catering and accommodations. There are 95 guest houses there, including big villas and European-style wood cabins.
　　 Other Scenic Areas 1. Mudan Peak Natural Protection Area
　　The Mudan Peak Natural Protection Area is located south of Mudanjiang City. It was established in May 1981, based on the natural forests in Mudan Peak.
　　The main scenic spots include mountains, springs, forests, and manmade buildings. Among them, the most famous one is the Longtou Spring(Dragon Head Spring). It is one of largest springs in this area with the daily flow volume of 2400 cubic meters. What’s more attractive is the ancient tree growing beside the spring with a dragon-head-like root exposed out of the earth.
　　 2.The Lotus Lake
　　The Lotus Lake lies in the northeastern part of Linkou County, Mudanjiang City. It is a manmade lake formed after the completion of the Lotus Hydropower Station. It is the largest manmade lake in North China and the provincial-level scenic spot in Heilongjiang.
　　The lake’s area reaches 133 square kilometers and the average depth is 40 meters. It is the main part of the Lotus Lake Scenic Area, which also includes forests, islands and cliffs. The whole lake is like a long belt that twists among mountains. The belt is decorated with deep forests, sheer cliffs and so on. It is worthwhile to mention that there are a lot of lotuses inside the lake– that is the origin of its name.
　　Around the lake are natural forests consisting of pines, tilias, willows and so on. You can also find ginseng, radix astragali and other Chinese medical herbs. Tigers, leopards, bears, boars and deer live there. There is the Manchurian tiger breeding center in this area, where about 70 tigers are fed.
　　There are some cultural relics around the lake, which could date back to the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, revealing the long history of this area. In addition, the area is directly connected to the Mudanjiang City with an expressway, making it very convenient for people to come and enjoy themselves in this place.
　　 General Tips
　　The best time to travel to Mudanjiang is from June to December. From June to September, the average temperature is 17.3 degrees and the water level in the Jingbo Lake is the highest in the whole year, making the waterfall grander and more impressive than the rest time of a year. In addition, there is little wind in this period, so the Jingbo Lake is more like a mirror, closer to its name.
　　In the winter, skiing is the best choice in this city. The two big skiing parks in Mudanjiang, as well as other small skiing parks, provide enough for those who love skiing. Anyone who wants taste the fun of North China should not miss this city.