Living in China's coldest village

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By CGTN's Yang Wentao & Zhu Qinliang

China's coldest village, 53 kilometers north to Genhe City, in Daxing'anling, northern Inner Mongolia. It has cold and long winters, but warm and short summers.

CGTN Photo

The winter season could last up to 6 months with the temperatures dipping down to minus 35 degrees Celsius. The temperatures in summer level out around 30 degrees Celsius. The region has only 3 months for plant growth due to its freezing weather.

CGTN Photo

There are many damages caused by its low temperature. On record, the lowest temperature in winter once reached -58°Celsius.

A child splashes hot water into the air which instantly crystalized in the cold weather./CGTN Photo

Basement house, or Diyinzi in Chinese, is a semi-underground structure built on a rectangular pit dug on the ground, with columns as supporting, spire bracket showing above the ground and covered with animal skins, soil or grass as its roof. Usually two meters tall, this kind of house has half of the room space on each of its ground and underground parts.

Diyinzi has been replaced by modern residential building./CGTN Photo

Residents usually arrange a heated brick bed, or Kang in Chinese), or wood boards in the center of the house to get warm. A cob wall or wooden barriers with some height are usually constructed around the roof to prevent the stampede by livestock or wild animals.

1463km