Songhua Lake is the Fengman Reservoir, created by damming the Songhua River about fifteen kilometres southeast of Jilin City. The reservoir is large — 554 square kilometres at full pool — and the surrounding hills and forest give it a landscape quality that belies its industrial origins. Boat cruises operate in summer, and the lake shore has developed resort facilities for domestic visitors.
In summer the lake is used for fishing, boating, and lakeside recreation. Winter brings ice fishing — a deep-rooted tradition in the northeast where the ice thickens enough to support vehicles, and fishing villages of temporary huts appear on the frozen surface. Watching the ice fishers at work on the frozen Songhua Lake in January is one of the more vividly northeastern experiences available within easy reach of Jilin City.
The Fengman hydroelectric plant on the dam is still operational and the dam is one of the larger pieces of colonial-era infrastructure still in active use in northeast China.