Welcome to Changbai Mountain Natural Reserve
The Changbai Mountains consist of low hills that surround an elevated volcanic plateau at the base of the Korean Peninsula. The highest peak rises above 2,600 meters and partially surrounds a deep crater lake. This eco region supports the most diverse and extensive late-succession conifer forests in northeast China. Due to the isolated character of these high-elevation habitats, the region also supports numerous endemic plant species. Some large predators still survive here, including Siberian tigers, lynx and brown bears.
Changbai Shan Nature Reserve, on the border of Jilin Province and North Korea, is very important to the conservation of this mountain eco region. It was created in 1961 and was designated as a UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve in 1979.
Established in 1961, the nature reserve covers more than 800 square kilometers of luxuriant forest, most of which lies 500–1100m above sea level. At the base of the range, the land is dense with huge Korean pines which can grow up to 50m tall, and mixed broadleaf forest. The rare Manchurian fir is also found here. As the climate becomes colder and damper higher up, the spruces and firs get hardier before giving way to a layer of sub-alpine grassland with colorful alpine plants and tundra. Animal species on the reserve include the leopard, lynx, black bear and Siberian tiger, all now protected, though decades of trapping have made them a rarity. Notable bird species include the golden-rumped swallow, orioles and the ornamental red crossbill. The area is rich in medicinal plants, too, and has been a focus of research since the eleventh century. The Chinese regard the region as the best place in the country for ginseng and deer antlers, both prized in traditional remedies, and the reserve's rare lichens have recently been investigated as a treatment for cancer.
Geography Features
Changbai Mountain Range is a composite shield-shaped dormant volcano, which is the highest mountain range in Northeast China. There are 16 peaks of Changbai Mountain, all of which have altitude of more than 2,500 meters. The Lake Tianchi, which is an alpine lake formed by volcanic eruption on the summit is the headspring of Songhua River, Yalu River and Tumen River. The Lake Tianchi is the deepest alpine lake in China with average depth of 201 meters and the deepest part of 373 meters. Hot springs are 800 meters north to the Lake Tianchi, the temperature of the water is mostly between 70℃and 80℃, containing various kinds of minerals which are beneficial to human health. Those springs are really suitable for drinking as well as bathing.
Diversified Creatures
A varied topography, weather, soil and other natural conditions in Changbai Mountain National Nature Reserve result in rich biodiversity and vertical zonal distribution of vegetation. Research shows that, 2,277 species of plant namely 550 species of lower plant and 1,727 species of higher plants are distributed in the Reserve. The Reserve bears a great variety of wild animals and 1,225 known animal species, among which 43 species, all of which are of high economic and research value.
Admission fee: 60RMB/person
Opening hours: All day