On April 28th, a breathtaking “mirage-like” phenomenon appeared on the coastline of Qingdao, attracting a lot of attention and making waves on social media. This is not the first time Qingdao has witnessed such a spectacular “mirage”.
Netizens shared videos of this rare spectacle, describing its beauty as resembling a scene from a painting with mist-covered mountains and clouds.
In recent years, reports of “mirages” have been popping up in various parts of China. Regions like Jiangsu, Heilongjiang, Xiamen, Dalian, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Xi’an, Chengdu, and Yunnan Weishan have all experienced similar phenomena.
On January 21, 2023, around 5 p.m., a video circulated online claiming to capture a “mirage” in Qingdao. The footage showed distant misty shapes that resembled structures shrouded in clouds, reminiscent of a mystical setting from a movie or TV show. Residents who witnessed this scene captured it on their phones, with some joking that it might be the entrance to a celestial palace hidden within the swirling mists.
On July 15, 2021, between 9:20 a.m. and 10 a.m., a mirage appeared on the sea surface of Shenzhen’s Dapeng Bay, recorded by a journalist from the Shenzhen Evening News who was filming Bryde’s whales.
Local fishermen explained that the mirage occurred on the southern and northern sides of Pingzhou Island in the waters of Dapeng Bay near Hong Kong. The southern side displayed a fish-shaped island image with a white lighthouse-like structure above it and a columnar image nearby. The northern side featured a columnar image and two roughly symmetrical rectangular images, resembling a giant windmill from a distance.
The mention of “mirages” often evokes images of Penglai Pavilion, a mythical and enchanting sight. However, in reality, mirages are tangible phenomena. Mirages are no longer just traditionally associated with the sea.
Ancient Chinese and foreign literature have documented mirages, but due to lack of understanding, they have been shrouded in mystery and myth.
In the Northern Song Dynasty, Shen Kuo’s “Dream Pool Essays” records various strange phenomena from ancient times.
The Qing Dynasty’s Kangxi Emperor’s records mention: “In the eighth year of Jiajing, three peaks of a sea island suddenly disappeared into the sea and then reemerged as one peak standing tall in the sky, appearing like a constantly changing tower, lasting for three days.”
The cause of mirages remains a mystery to modern empirical science, often explained as phenomena resulting from the refraction and total reflection of light. Essentially, mirages are considered as alternate spatial dimensions, overlapping with human perception, like shadows but existing in different spaces.