Persistent low temperatures have transformed the Gongliu section of the Ili River in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region into a winter wonderland. Ice floes, shaped by wind and river currents, collide, rotate and re-freeze into delicate "lotus" formations. These crystal-clear ice petals, layered like jade-green leaves, stretch across the riverbank and create a breathtaking scene reminiscent of "endless lotus fields."