Crowds of tourists are braving frigid temperatures and enjoying a host of fun winter activities at a massive ice-and-snow attraction built by a border river in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.
The huge attraction spans some 140,000-square-meters -- equivalent to the size of 20 football fields -- and is located by a river section along the China-Russia border in Heilongjiang's Luobei County.
It drew nearly 1,000 visitors on its opening day last week, with many eagerly trying out the various attractions on offer including riding on snowmobiles or winding their way through a challenging snow maze sculpted out of snow and ice.
There were also a series of popular group activities which included a slippery tug-of-war on the ice, and a special game which saw teams line-up while passing back buckets of snow over their heads to be collected by their teammates.
These fun and games at the border location add to the ice-and-snow sports craze that has been sweeping across China's northeastern regions during recent months.
Crowds brave cold to enjoy winter fun at huge snow attraction by border river
Ding Xuexiang, director of China's central science and technology commission, on Monday urged continued efforts to promote greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology and achieve steady and sustained sci-tech progress.
Ding, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made a speech at a national conference on science and technology that was convened on Monday.
Ding noted that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China's sci-tech development achieved remarkable accomplishments. Sci-tech innovation has comprehensively empowered high-quality development and played a strategic supporting role in the Chinese modernization drive.
He emphasized the need to strengthen basic research and enhance China's self-reliant capacity to guarantee basic conditions for scientific research.
He called for the nation's strategic sci-tech capabilities to be leveraged, for international sci-tech collaboration to be deepened, and for the improvement of the overall efficacy of the national innovation system.
Ding also urged the deepened integration of sci-tech innovation and industrial innovation, the reinforcement of the leading role enterprises play in innovation, the accelerated establishment of a sci-tech finance system, and improved guidance for the development of new quality productive forces.
He stressed the importance of expanding the science and engineering talent pool, and of advancing the construction of international sci-tech innovation centers.
Senior Chinese official urges steady, sustained sci-tech progress
