The Changbai Mountain reserve is a paradise for winter sports lovers and is home to one of the nation's best ski resorts. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Today, the folklore of Changbai Mountain continues. There are frequent news reports of tourists claiming to have seen a water monster at Tianchi (which means Heavenly Lake) at the top of the mountain.

According to the Mount Changbai Tianchi Monster Research Center, there are more than 1,000 claims from domestic and overseas tourists of a Tianchi monster sighting over the last three decades. There are dozens of murky photos and videos of the monster that can be found online, about as many as the number of people who claim to be conducting research on the monster.

Aside from the far fetched and mysterious, Changbai Mountain is also known as a breathtaking site that is traversable throughout the year. Among the beautiful mountain ranges to visit across China, Changbai Mountain is at or near the top of many tourists' to-do lists.