"Tidal trees" emerge as the Liujiaxia Reservoir recedes in Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, Gansu province. [Photo/Gansu Daily]

As water levels drop each winter at the Liujiaxia Reservoir in Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, Gansu province, vast stretches of the Yellow River's tidal flats are revealed. Etched across the exposed riverbed are striking seasonal spectacles known as "tidal trees" — delicate networks of winding channels that resemble silvery branches spreading under the winter sky.

These "tidal trees" are not actual vegetation, but intricate patterns carved by receding river currents. Their twisting grooves branch out like nerves across the earth or like the sprawling silhouettes of giant trees, often described by locals as "the last fingerprint of the retreating Yellow River".

The best time to witness this phenomenon is after the first snow, when a dusting of white over the reddish-brown riverbed seems to adorn the "trees" with blossoms, as though they had just burst into bloom as the water withdrew.

This wonder is exclusively a winter sight. Come spring, rising waters will submerge the tidal flats again, and the "tidal trees" will disappear until the next cold season. Their brief, mysterious beauty now draws visitors and photographers eager to capture this poetic, vanishing landscape along the Yellow River.