A glacier is a perennial mass of ice which moves over land. A glacier forms in locations where the mass accumulation of snow and ice exceeds ablation over many years. The word glacier comes from French via the Vulgar Latin glacia, and ultimately from Latin glacies meaning ice. The corresponding area of study is called glaciology.Glacier ice is the largest reservoir of fresh water on Earth.

China's glaciers are mainly located in the west and north, with a total area of 59,406 square kilometers and an ice reserve of 5,590 cubic kilometers. Most of them are in the Tibet Autonomous Region, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces. They lie in the Himalayan Range, Hengduan Mountains, Kunlun Mountains and Qilian Mountains. The glaciers in these mountains have become the origins of many rivers, including the Yangtze River and Yellow River as the glaciers are melting.

The following are six beautiful glaciers for visitors to see in China:

1. Rongbuk Glacier in Tibet

The Rongbuk Glacier is located in the Himalaya of southern Tibet. Two large tributary glaciers, the East and West Rongbuk Glaciers flow into the Rongbuk Glacier. It flows north and forms the Rongbuk Valley north of Mount Everest. The famous Rongbuk Monastery is located at the northern end of the Rongbuk valley. Mount Everest is the source of the Rongbuk Glacier and East Rongbuk Glacier.

Climbing expeditions and trekking parties use this glacier to reach the Advanced Base Camp of Mount Everest at the upper end of the East Rongbuk Glacier. From there, climbing expeditions try to summit Everest by the North Col and the northeast ridge.