Tourists experience cultural activities in the Genhe Forest Area.
Tourists interact with reindeer.
All the above images were provided by the Genhe City Media Convergence Center.
Even icy and snowy landscapes can be a goldmine. Many regions are adapting to their local conditions, transforming their natural advantages into a driving force for high-quality development. This is not only a microcosm of regional economic transformation but also a vivid example of the new development philosophy at the grassroots level, providing new ideas for promoting industrial revitalization and achieving common prosperity. Starting today, this section launches the "Cold Resources Turned into Hot Industries" series, taking you on a journey to explore the stories of how various regions have transformed "cold resources" into "hot industries."
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In December 2025, the lowest temperature in Genhe City, Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, had dropped to -40 degrees Celsius. At 7 a.m., before dawn, reindeer herder Gu Musen carried a birch bark bucket filled with dried moss, trudging through the thick snow towards the reindeer enclosure at the edge of the forest. Behind him, Wen Gang, a tourist from Guangdong, carefully stepped out of the wooden hut, his breath instantly freezing on his eyelashes.
This time, Wen Gang came to Genhe, known as the "coldest place in China," and encountered reindeer, a rare sight, deep in the forests of the Greater Khingan Mountains.
“This fawn is very strong. If you feed it, it will remember you,” Gu Musen told Wen Gang. A reindeer with a star-shaped spot on its left ear walked slowly over and lowered its head obediently. This was the first time Wen Gang had seen a reindeer: “If I have the chance, I will come to see them again.”
Genhe, meaning "clear and transparent river" in Mongolian, is a small town located on the northern slope of the Greater Khingan Mountains. Its seven-month-long snow and ice season was once considered an obstacle to development. "Now we no longer shy away from the 'cold,' but rather reinterpret it—extreme cold becomes a rare experience," said Song Ling, director of the Genhe Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Radio and Television.
In 2022, Genhe City launched the "Adopt a Reindeer" program. Tourists can sign an adoption agreement, receive an adoption certificate, and visit Genhe at any time. The program has further boosted the number of tourists visiting the area during the winter.
"This is not just a tourism project, but also a cultural bond," Songling explained. Each adopted reindeer is associated with an Evenki family. Most of the adoption fees paid by tourists go directly to the reindeer-raising families for the protection of the reindeer herd and forest maintenance, while a portion is used for cultural preservation.
Behind the reindeer adoption program lies a complete cultural experience chain: visiting reindeer herding tribes, learning Evenki birch bark craftsmanship, and experiencing winter life in the forest...
These experiences are all rooted in real life. Gu Musen told reporters, "In the past, we only regarded reindeer as a means of transportation and a means of production. Now, they have become a bridge connecting cultures."
Following Wen Gang's itinerary, one can directly experience the operation of this cultural experience chain.
At dawn, guided by an Evenki guide, he learned to use an axe to break the ice and fetch water to prepare "breakfast" for the reindeer. The outdoor thermometer pointed to -32 degrees Celsius, but during the feeding process, he kept bending down to get close to the reindeer.
At 10 a.m., he put on Evenki ethnic clothing and experienced the "Cold Pole Challenge": brewing tea using traditional methods in the outdoors at minus 30 degrees Celsius. As the flames licked the bottom of the iron kettle, he smiled and said, "I didn't realize that in extreme cold, a small fire could bring such happiness."
The story of Genhe has a deeper background of transformation. This small town, which once prospered because of its forests, faced a difficult transformation after commercial logging of natural forests was completely halted in 2015. How to transform its "cold" and "remote" characteristics into new resources? Genhe's choice was: deep integration of culture and tourism.
“We don’t do conventional ice and snow tourism,” Song Ling said. “What we do is provide in-depth experiences of ice and snow culture.”
The cold has become a unique source of productivity in Genhe.
In Lengji Village, Genhe City, villagers have transformed their courtyards into "low-temperature experimental fields": photographing the instant water freezes when splashed, comparing the heat insulation performance of clothing made of different materials... These "experiments" have become popular experiences.
Ma Dexin, the operations manager of the Cold Pole Village, told reporters that the demand for rooms is very high this winter, sometimes requiring reservations a week in advance. "Guests come to experience how to live warmly in the freezing cold," Ma Dexin said.
Data shows that from September to December 2025, Genhe City achieved tourism revenue of 1.316 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 12%; and received 903,600 tourists, a year-on-year increase of 14.2%.
Genhe's transformation continues. The local government is developing an extended consumption chain centered on hot spring wellness and complemented by immersive dining experiences to boost the achievement of its annual tourism goals. "The cold is not the end, but the beginning," said Songling. "We want the world to see that in such a cold place, there is a new experience."
Another morning dawned, and Wengang was about to leave. As the car drove away, Wengang looked back and saw smoke rising from the wooden houses and deer roaming the snow. This place, known for its "coldness," was redefining the meaning of coldness in a uniquely warm way.
