Ice entertainment activities are attracting tourists in different parts of China as the coldest months of a year bring picturesque winter sceneries.
In Shuangyashan City of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province where the temperature is lower than minus 16 degrees Celsius, many sports lovers and spectators are enjoying winter swimming and ice fishing activities.
"As soon as I jump into the water, I feel completely relaxed and refreshed. There's a real joy in that sense of achievement from conquering the bitter cold," said Lu Yongji, a winter swimmer.
In a vast area of a frozen reservoir, the ice fishing competitors are sitting in separate tents to harvest fish from beneath the thick ice.
"I've never seen such a grand ice fishing scene in my hometown in southern China. I just tried a couple of casts, and the fishing here is nothing like the fishing back home. Winning isn't important. What's important is having fun, sharing skills and experience," said Lan Xurong, an ice fishing competitor.
The participants and spectators of the ice activities can also enjoy local traditional winter foods like candied hawthorn skewers, sticky rice dumplings and even barbecues at a nearby street market.
In Tianchi Lake scenic area, located in the Tianshan Mountains of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, tourists taste fresh meat and soup at the local Big Pot Mutton Festival.
They can also enjoy music and dance shows staged in the scenic area as well as discounted admission prices for the local ski resort.
"I didn't expect the Tianshan Mountain and the Tianchi Lake to be this lively and warm in winter. Being able to taste mutton and enjoy performances is really great," said a tourist.
The scenic area will launch more than ten new ice entertainment projects in January.
Snowscape, winter events in Heilongjiang, Xinjiang captivate tourists
China's top housing authority has pledged to stabilize the real-estate market, rolling out a package of measures centered on city-specific policies to reduce inventories and optimize housing supply.
At a national conference held in Beijing on Tuesday, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development announced that stabilizing the real estate market will be a central priority next year.
In 2026, local governments across China are expected to focus on city-specific policies aimed at controlling new housing supply, reducing existing inventory, and optimizing housing availability. Efforts will be integrated with urban renewal projects and the redevelopment of urban villages to revitalize and better utilize existing land resources. Authorities will also promote the acquisition of unsold commercial housing stock for conversion into affordable housing, resettlement units, dormitories, and apartments for skilled professionals.
The supply of government-subsidized housing will be optimized and implemented with greater precision, while a national housing quality improvement initiative will advance the orderly construction of "good homes." The role of the real estate project "whitelist" system will be further expanded to support the reasonable financing needs of property developers.
Municipal governments are encouraged to make full use of their autonomy in real estate regulation, adjusting and refining housing policies as appropriate to support both rigid and improvement-oriented housing needs, thereby fostering stable operation across local property markets.
China will also accelerate the formation of a new development model for the real estate sector. This includes building a foundational institutional framework, solidifying the corporate-based project development model, implementing a lead bank system for real estate financing, and promoting the sale of completed homes, effectively reducing the risk of delivery failures. For areas that continue with pre-sale practices, stricter oversight will be applied to the management of pre-sale funds to protect buyers' legal rights.
At the same time, reforms to the housing provident fund system will be deepened. The government will launch a campaign to improve the quality of property services and explore a new model of community governance led by grassroots Party organizations in collaboration with neighborhood committees, homeowners' associations, and property management companies. Moreover, the "property services plus lifestyle services" model will be explored, expanding property-related services into households.
China pledges to stabilize property market
