Photos taken in Altay City on Thursday show trees covered by rime, which is ice that forms on object surfaces. Cold air has lowered temperatures in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to as low as minus 24 degrees Celsius. /(Chinanews Photo) 

Rime forms when water droplets in fog freezeto outer surfaces of objects. This is rare in populated areas because it requires warm, moist air to come in contact with subfreezing temperatures at ground level. /(Chinanews Photo)  

The ice crystals have turned the landscape into a winter wonderland. /(Chinanews Photo)