A winter wonderland all year round

Snow-covered mountains are a rare sight in south China, but 95 kilometers from Chengdu City, Xiling Snow Mountain is covered in white, powdery snow all year round.

Its highest peak is 5,374 meters above sea level, and the area is home to vast virgin woodlands, craggy cliffs, rare plants and beautiful birds.

During the cold winter months, visitors flock to Xiling Snow Mountain for an adventurous holiday in the park’s ski resort, which includes several slopes and a total of seven hotels.

Skiing season starts in late November and lasts until the end of March. Besides skiing or snowboarding, the resort also offers a variety of other outdoor winter activities, like dogsled treks for kids, snowmobile expeditions, snowfield pulleys and alpine skiing for veteran skiers.

A sightseeing cable car can take visitors to the snow-capped Riyue Peak, also known as Sun-and-moon Platform. It’s the longest cable car line in China and the ride takes about 40 minutes. It’s best to get up early and reach the peak in time to see the awe-inspiring sunrise over the mountains.

Once the skiing season is done, Xiling Snow Mountain National Park becomes an ideal destination for its natural beauty. In spring, it’s rich with blooming flowers, while summer is perfect to hike around the cascading waterfalls and in fall, the park is covered in bright yellow and orange foliage.

On a warm day, it’s best to start your visit from the Dafeishui Scenic Spot. The hike up and down the mountain takes about 9 to 12 hours and leads through an impressive landscape.

Some of the waterfalls here drop about 70 meters. The most noteworthy is Iridescent Waterfall, which cascades down red and fish scale-like granite. When sunlight falls on the rocks in the right angle, you can see the colors of the rainbow shimmer through the mist.

Another highlight is Yin Yang Jie, or Ying Yang Boundary, said to be the boundary between the nether world and the living world.

Yin Yang Jie is a 2-meter-wide dividing ridge located 3,150 meters above sea level. From the ridge, the Tibetan Plateau is located in the west, while the Sichuan Basin lies in the east.

With the plateau dry and cold and the basin warm and humid, the two airstreams that meet here form a natural phenomenon that makes one side appear clear and sunny while the other is foggy and cold, hence the name Yin Yang Boundary.