Branches at Taizijian Peak are covered by pure white rime. [Photo/WeChat account: dskbdskb]

Early this morning, hiking groups across Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai were buzzing over stunning videos of rime ice at Taizijian Peak in Lin'an district, where a sudden cold front transformed the mountain into a glittering white world.

At 1,557 meters above sea level, Taizijian woke up covered in pure white rime —branches, shrubs and ridgelines all coated in icy crystals, creating a scene like a snow kingdom.

Rime, also called ice flowers or snow willows in classical Chinese, forms when supercooled water droplets in fog freeze instantly upon contact with surfaces below 0 C. It requires both low temperatures and abundant moisture — conditions that aligned perfectly last night.

Though this marks Hangzhou's first rime of the season, the city's first snowfall may take longer. According to the latest forecast, Hangzhou will see mostly sunny weather in the coming week. While mountains like Lin'an have the necessary cold, the lack of precipitation means snow will have to wait.

Branches at Taizijian Peak are covered by rime. [Photo/WeChat account: dskbdskb]