On the morning of January 14, temperatures in Genhe City, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, plummeted to minus 38 degrees Celsius.

Nearly a hundred locals and tourists gathered, each holding a container of hot water. As they simultaneously tossed the water into the frigid air, it instantly vaporized into mist and froze into countless ice crystals.

In the bright sunlight, these sparkling ice fragments shimmered like a galaxy, creating a breathtaking winter wonderland unique to China's "Cold Pole."