In Qingdao, northern China, winter unfolds like a painting, with Taiping Mountain’s dawn redwoods and the seagulls at Zhanqiao Pier providing the richest colours. Rows of straight, waterside redwoods shift from yellow to crimson, and when sunlight strikes their leaves, the trees and their reflections on the lake create a dreamlike, mirrored world.

The redwoods stand like brushstrokes across the hillside, each ripple of colour adding a new shade to the scene. Visitors stroll the paths, cameras ready to capture the glowing foliage and the perfectly reflected compositions on the water.

Along the coast at Zhanqiao Pier, the city’s seagulls add a lively white contrast. Since 1994, Qingdao’s “Action to Conserve Seagulls” has welcomed wintering flocks, and after three decades, more than 100,000 seagulls now spend the season here. Locals and tourists delight in close, friendly encounters with these feathered visitors, making Qingdao’s cold months feel bright and alive.