Diaoshuilou Falls
Over a basalt ledge.
William L. Farr — CC BY-SA 4.0 · drnan tu — CC BY-SA 2.0 · lienyuan lee — CC BY 3.0 · lienyuan lee — CC BY 3.0 · lienyuan lee — CC BY 3.0 · Kelly Zhang120 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · drnan tu — CC BY-SA 2.0 · lienyuan lee — CC BY 3.0
China's largest mountain lake held back by a lava dam: basalt lava from five eruptions blocked the Mudan River some ten thousand years ago, creating a winding lake 45 kilometres long and up to six kilometres wide among forested hills, a UNESCO Global Geopark since 2006. At its northern end, where visits begin, the lake spills over the Diaoshuilou Falls, which pour across a basalt ledge into a deep pool; the falls are more than forty metres wide and far wider in the rainy season, and in summer divers leap from the cliff beside them in daily shows. Boats leave nearby piers for tours among the islands and rocks along the lake, and a lake on Saturn's moon Titan is named after it. Tickets for the main scenic area cost about CNY 80 and the falls area about 15, with boats extra, per visitor guides. In the deep cold of winter the lake freezes and the falls turn into a wall of ice.
Over a basalt ledge.
Among the islands.
A frozen waterfall.
Ning'an, south-west of Mudanjiang city, Heilongjiang
From June to September, when the falls are at their strongest after the rains and the boats run; autumn for colour, and winter for those who want to see the falls frozen in severe cold.
Choices are few at the lake, so bring food and look in Mudanjiang city for restaurants run by Hui Muslims under the halal sign.