National 5A Scenic AreaNortheast China
Changbai Mountains & Heavenly Lake
长白山天池 · Jilin, Yanbian
A volcanic crater lake of deep blue water on the border with North Korea, surrounded by forest and peaks.
Changbai Shan is a long-dormant volcanic range on the China–North Korea border, its summit holding Heaven Lake (Tianchi), a vast, deep-blue crater lake ringed by jagged peaks at over 2,100 metres. Below lie primeval forest, hot springs, the dramatic Changbai Waterfall and alpine meadows, in one of northeast Asia's most important ecosystems.
Sacred to both Korean and Manchu traditions (as the mythic birthplace of the Manchu), Changbai is the source of the Songhua, Tumen and Yalu rivers. Its forest reserve protects the endangered Siberian tiger and was developed as a flagship nature and hot-spring scenic area, with the crater lake revealed when clouds lift.
Day-by-day routes you won't find online — now starting with an 8-day, 1,500 km loop through western Sichuan. New regions are added regularly; tell us where you want to drive next.
