The 9th Asian Winter Games have sparked widespread excitement for winter sports and tourism, transforming a small town in Heilongjiang, northeast China, into a thriving winter wonderland and a must-visit destination for travelers.
Scheduled for February 7 to 14, the Games will be hosted across two competition zones, one in Harbin City and the other in Yabuli County, a subordinate county of Harbin.
Only more than 100 kilometers away from Yabuli, Hengdaohezi Town has abundant historical buildings and won the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2018.
Currently, the town is experiencing a peak in winter tourism, with a steady stream of visitors coming to ski and capture the scenic beauty.
The ice and snow industry has evidently become a new pillar of economic development for the town.
"We've never seen such large amounts of snow before, and seeing it for the first time is really exciting," said one of the visitors.
The rapid development of winter tourism has transformed Hengdaohezi from a secluded ice town surrounded by mountains into a popular destination.
"I had never been here before, and it completely meets my expectations of what northeast China looks like," another tourist said.
Homestays, photography studios, and cafes have sprung up amid the influx of tourists, with more young people choosing to return home to start their own businesses.
Song Zhihui, a cafe owner in Hengdaohezi Town, shared her inspiring story of building a successful business.
"After the winter tourism boom over the past two years, I thought maybe I should come back home to create a more elegant place for tourists to have a better resting spot during their travels," said Song.
She added that the cafe sells an average of about 200 cups of coffee daily.
Previously, Hengdaohezi had 167 businesses in accommodation, dining, and travel photography. In 2024, more than 80 new businesses have opened to customers.
"Hengdaohezi is so popular now, coinciding with the timing of the Asian Winter Games, bringing us a significant influx of visitors. As northeast China's winter tourism gains wide recognition, we are truly experiencing what it means that ice and snow are invaluable assets," said Song.
Asian Winter Games bring economic windfall to small town in northeast China
Lebanon's Health Ministry said Saturday that Israeli strikes during the latest round of fighting have killed 2,020 people and wounded 6,436 others since hostilities escalated.
The ministry said the toll reflects cumulative casualties recorded across multiple regions amid continued Israeli airstrikes and cross-border exchanges of fire.
On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that Israeli forces engaged in close-range firefights with Hezbollah militants, striking multiple targets and killing several militants while seizing various weapons. In the past 24 hours, the IDF targeted over 200 Hezbollah sites within Lebanon and continued to target Hezbollah rocket launchers to prevent attacks against Israel.
Additionally, the IDF's Home Front Command has tightened public safety guidelines, suspending or limiting educational activities in border communities, Upper Galilee, and Haifa Bay, while also restricting the size of gatherings in those areas.
Hezbollah, in its statement, claimed that its operations in southern Lebanon continued, attacking Israeli tanks and personnel. The group also targeted Israeli military infrastructure, soldiers, and vehicles in northern Israel.
The escalation followed renewed hostilities involving Hezbollah, which said it launched rockets from southern Lebanon toward Israel on March 2 for the first time since a ceasefire on Nov. 27, 2024. The exchange prompted Israel to expand its military campaign across Lebanon.
Lebanon has since been hit by sustained strikes in several areas, with fighting spreading beyond border regions into other parts of the country.
Iran and the United States agreed to a ceasefire on Wednesday. Israel said it would abide by the truce but argued the agreement does not apply to Lebanon. That assertion was rejected by Iran and by mediator Pakistan.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that the disarmament of Hezbollah is a prerequisite for any ceasefire agreement with Lebanon.
In a video statement, he said Lebanon had approached Israel several times over the past month seeking to begin direct talks following Israeli military actions.
"I approved this, subject to two conditions: we want to achieve the disarmament of Hezbollah, and we want a real peace agreement that will last for generations," Netanyahu said.
Death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon reaches 2,020
