Delicate balance

While the green gems have helped place Changbai among the country's top scenic spots, protecting the area from human impact and environmental degradation still takes priority. Public access to some zones in the reserve are subject to daily limits of 25,000 people, according to management regulations.

"We need to strike a delicate balance between opening up the reserve to tourists and protecting it from any damage," forest ranger Wang Wei said.

Wang Wei and the 16 full-time staff members also take on crucial firefighting and fire prevention roles at their Toudao conservation management station, the first of nine major stations located across the reserve.

"We've successfully protected this precious environment in recent decades and that must remain our top responsibility. This is also in line with the environmental priorities of the province and the rest of the country," conservation management center director Wang Shaoxian said.

Changbai's environmental achievements have helped Jilin become one of the "greenest" provinces in the country, on the back of extensive forestation measures.

Forest cover made up less than 30 percent of the province in the early years of the People's Republic of China, but that has since grown to more than 44 percent, or 8.27 million hectares of forest, according to provincial authorities. Last year alone, the province completed a major forestation drive that included converting nearly 1 million hectares of wasteland into forest.

"Ecological health is our greatest advantage, our most important form of branding and our best asset. Ultimately, Jilin's foundation is built on its environment and that is something we greatly cherish," said the province's Party secretary, Bayanqolu.

Safeguarding the environment is the same as safeguarding the sanctity of life, he said.

Environmental authorities also point to the successful protection of the Siberian tiger and Amur leopard populations in the province as a clear reflection of the environmental achievements.

With the expansion of their habitats and growing abundance of food sources, the apex predators have flourished. Over the past two decades, the number of tigers in the wild has risen from four or six to more than 27, while leopard numbers have grown from three or five to more than 42, according to provincial authorities.

"This is a very special place but it is also fragile. We are doing meaningful work here and I really hope the environment continues to improve," Wang Shaoxian said.

"We must pass on its beauty for future generations to enjoy."