Things To Do in Jilin City

Jilin is host to a scene of unearthly beauty in winter, when steam rises from the Songhua River and condenses on nearby trees. The phenomenon, dubbed wusong (ice-rimmed trees) in Mandarin, is a byproduct of the nearby Fengman Hydroelectric Dam, which feeds warm water into the Songhua and keeps it from freezing despite air temperatures of -30°C (-22°F). To see this, get up early and walk along any section of the pleasant riverside promenade that follows Songhua Jiang Lu, or you can take the touring cart (¥2 single trip;¥4 round-trip) on Jiangbin Xi Lu, outside the Shijie Guangchang, to enjoy the beautiful river. Also beautiful is an old Catholic Church (Tianzhu Jiaotang), built in 1917 and restored in 1980, opposite the promenade on the west side of Jiangcheng Guangchang square; it isn't open to tourists, but you might convince someone in the attached hospice to let you in for a look.