As Chinese people welcomed the arrival of the year 2026 on Thursday, the first rays of dawn bathed China's vast and varied landscapes in golden light, symbolizing renewal and hope.
In northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, the sun rose over Jiayin County of Yichun City, casting a soft glow across snow-laden forests.
Jiayin is known as the "hometown of dinosaurs", where China's first dinosaur fossil was unearthed in 1902.
Further south, in Tonghua City of Jilin Province, the meeting of warm, moist air and freezing cold created a fairy-tale spectacle: rime ice glistened on every branch of the Sifangshan Forest Park, shimmering like crystal under the morning sun.
In east China's Shandong Province, dawn broke over the renowned Mount Tai, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The sunrise there, long celebrated in Chinese poetry and art, unfolded like a majestic natural film, drawing awe from those who gathered especially to witness it on the first day of the new year.
In the Yangtze River Delta, the sun cast a golden glow over the newly built "Fangting Shuiyuan" (lit. square hall courtyard), a striking structure that straddles the metropolis Shanghai, and the two provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
Perched above the Taipu River, this "shared living room" of the region stands as a symbol of integrated and coordinated development of the region.
Morning light also pierced through racks of laver farms off Xiapu County of Ningde City in east China's Fujian Province.
There, fishermen began their year with a quiet resolve, their hopes for a bountiful harvest mirrored in the golden ripples on the sea.
In Shanwei City of south China's Guangdong Province, the Nantian Lake scenic area emerged from lingering mist. The dawn painted the surrounding peaks in hues of rose and amber, blending the lake and mountains into a living ink-wash masterpiece.
In northwest China, the sun crested the peaks of Liupan Mountain in Guyuan City of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
Once the final major barrier crossed by the Red Army during the Long March 90 years ago, this "mountain of victory" stood solemn and proud, its slopes bathed in light that honored both the region's historic sacrifice and present-day progress.
In the revolutionary heartland of Yan'an City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the iconic Baota Hill glowed in the morning sun, while life bustled below in streets that blend heritage with modernity.
Amid the Taihang Mountains in Yangquan City of north China's Shanxi Province, sunlight danced across snow-laden pines and their frozen branches, turning the winter forest into a gallery of ice and jade.
Along the Yangtze River, China's longest river, Yichang City of central China's Hubei Province emerged from the morning haze.
Home to the monumental Three Gorges Dam, the city now embodies the country's shift towards green development.
In Weining Yi-Hui-Miao Autonomous County of southwest China's Guizhou Province, the Caohai National Nature Reserve slowly warmed under the sun's gentle caress.
Black-necked cranes, a species under top-class national protection, stirred from slumber, their elegant forms gliding across golden waters veiled in mist, a testament to the country's ecological conservation progress.
The sun also crowned the peaks of Wuzhi Mountain in south China's island province of Hainan. Clouds swirled like liquid gold around the summits, while the vast tropical rainforest at the mountain's foot pulsed with life, ready to greet a hopeful new year.
China's splendid landscapes bathed in New Year's sunrise glow
