Morning frost on trees in Mount Siguniang National Park, Sichuan Province, China

© Robert Harding World Imagery/Offset by Shutterstoc

Four Sisters, thousands of trees

You’ll find this wintry forest on the slopes of Mount Siguniang, the tallest summit of the Qionglai Mountains in Western China. Its name, which translates as Four Sisters Mountain, is inspired by the local Tibetan legend about its four peaks. According to the story, four sisters saved their people using a magic mirror to turn themselves into the mountain to imprison the devil.

The tallest peak, 'the youngest sister', stands at 20,500ft (6,248m) and is an extremely challenging climb. It is rarely attempted and it was 1981 before anyone reached the summit. The surrounding park includes three valleys around the mountain and is part of the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, a Unesco World Heritage Site which is home to more than 30% of the world’s giant pandas.