The Magic of Traversing the Four Seasons Solidifies on the Cliff
In the early morning, Yuanjiajie is still shrouded in mist, with the tender pink of the mountain cherry blossoms just beginning to color the Ten-Mile Gallery. At noon, the scorching 30°C sun catches visitors off guard at Jinbian Stream, causing them to strip down to their single layers. No one expected that by evening, a cold wave carrying ice pellets would knock on the windows of Wulingyuan. The next day, when the doors were opened, the mountains were covered with azaleas and dove trees frozen in a crystal-like glaze—the buds that had just bloomed in spring had turned into crystal sculptures in an ice palace. 'These flowers bloom in spring but are wrapped in winter's wedding dress.'
▌Spring Flowers Meet Late Spring Cold
At the top of Huangshizhai, at an altitude of 1200 meters, photographers captured a magical moment: the carmine petals of the weeping crabapple were imprinted with ice crystals, turning them into translucent specimens, while the golden stamens of the witch hazel maintained their graceful posture within the ice, as if someone had pressed the pause button on time.
▌Summer Clouds Fall into the Ice River
The cloud waterfall of Tianzi Mountain solidified into a milky white ice river at zero degrees, cascading down among the three thousand peaks. The monkey groups in the Ten-Mile Gallery curled up on the cliff cypress covered with ice grapes, while the peach blossom jellyfish swam under the ice in the streams. The new leaves of the tulip trees on both sides of the glass plank road refracted a magical light of intertwined emerald and diamonds in the sunlight.
▌Winter's Finale Hides Spring's Germination
On the fourth day, as the morning sun pierced through the clouds, the forest rangers discovered new buds sprouting from the roots of the frozen azaleas amidst the tinkling morning song of falling ice. By Baofeng Lake at a lower altitude, the sea of rapeseed flowers, untouched by ice and snow, continued to burn with golden waves. Meanwhile, in front of the Tianmen Cave a thousand meters above, tourists in down jackets and short-sleeve T-shirts exchanged smiles—here, the four seasons are never a single choice.
【Traveler's Notes】
The director behind this time-space fold is the 1500-meter vertical drop terrain and the capricious monsoon. It is recommended to carry layered clothing, as you might be boating in the peach blossom flood one moment and stepping into a rime-covered secret realm the next. The wildflowers frozen in ice will eventually melt, but the crystal petals hanging on the cliffs have already etched the most breathtaking amber memory of this spring.