Posted 2018/1/8
What is Rime
When the air around you is minus 20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees F), what will it take to appreciate natural scenery? Most of the time, spirits remain understandably low in chilly winds, and appetite for visual treats is hard to find. Still, at least one icy resident manages to touch its viewers consistently even on the coldest mornings: hard rime.
Popularly known as ‘snow willow’ or ‘ice flower,’ rime is a common natural phenomenon during northern China’s brutally cold winters. It is white ice that forms when water droplets from fog freeze on the outer surface of objects, such as electrical wires and twigs.
A specific category of frost, rime is an accumulation of granular ice tufts on the windward sides of objects after fog or clouds are supercooled by the wind. Due to precise conditions the phenomenon requires, rime appears only occasionally and in varying locations.
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Charming rime scenery in Jilin Rime Island
Jilin Rime Island
Jilin City of northeastern China’s Jilin Province is the most renowned rime-spotting place in the country. Considered one of the four natural wonders of China, Jilin rime attracts healthy numbers of tourists every year.
Rime Island is only 40 kilometers from Jilin City, but lower than it. Jilin Rime is completely surrounded by water and is a meeting point for cold air to meet warmer ocean air. The island is often covered with heavy fog, with fog covering up to this small 6-kilometer island and not evaporating. The best time to appreciate rime is before 10 o'clock in the morning.
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Jilin Rime Island attracts many tourists and shutterbugs
Hantun, a small village next to Wusong Island, is home to only several dozen households. But thanks to abundant tourism resources provided by the island, more than 10 families were able to open hotels, allowing tourists to experience features of the northeastern lifestyle such as its cuisine and famous heated brick beds. The family-run hotels have the capacity to host 1,000 tourists at a time. When we arrived, the locals explained that strong winds prevented rime from forming for a few days.
