Arxan City, Hinggan League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, north China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Aerial shots of unfrozen river, snow-covered riverbank, cattle
2. Various of cattle walking in river
3. Surface of unfrozen river
4. Aerial shots of snow-covered crater
5. Various of tourists soaking in hot springs
6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed with English) Li Chunyan, tourist (partially overlaid with shot 7):
"Because my son has seen so many snow videos on his phone, he asked me, 'Can we go play in the snow?' To be honest, some of these places are either too crowded or overpriced. Arxan offers more bang for the buck."
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
7. Pictures of Li, her son during trip
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
8. Aerial shots of snow-covered forest
9. Various of local government official Sun Hailong walking, talking with reporter
10. Various of Arxan New Year Nadam Fair in progress, spectators dancing, taking photos
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Sun Hailong, local government official:
"We welcome everyone [from] around the world to come and see this winter wonderland."

Arxan City, Hinggan League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, north China - Dec 31, 2024 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
12. Various of staff preparing for molten "iron flower" performance
13. Various of molten "iron flower" performance in progress
14. Various of tourists at New Year celebration event

The remote city of Arxan in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is reaping the benefits of a surge in winter tourism, standing out as an alternative to other popular destinations, as the country is experiencing another boom in ice and snow themed travel.

The name of the city, Haren Arxan, means "hot holy water" in the Mongolian language. Located on China's border with Mongolia, Arxan boasts a stretch of the Khalkha River that runs non-freezing due to the heat from an active volcanic cluster in the region, which also feeds the city's famous hot springs.

Discerning tourists have taken on a journey to this more secluded destination, where stunning winter scenery and a variety of ice and snow events are offered along with the relaxing mineral-rich thermal baths.

"Because my son has seen so many snow videos on his phone, he asked me, 'Can we go play in the snow?' To be honest, some of these places are either too crowded or overpriced. Arxan offers more bang for the buck," said Li Chunyan, a tourist from east China's Zhejiang Province.

Arxan's abundant natural resources once made it a logging hub. But since China shifted to forest preservation in the 1990s, the town's focus turned to tourism.

Local government official Sun Hailong has witnessed Arxan's transformation over the past 25 years. From desolate beginnings, the town saw roads paved and an airport built.

Last year, Arxan recorded more than 5 million tourist visits, but most of them were received during the summer. The government has now set a goal of attracting more winter tourists.

Significant investments are being made to boost tourism in Arxan. Last year, the equivalent of over 2 million U.S. dollars of government funding was spent on tourism projects, a staggering amount given the city's GDP amounts to just over 3 million dollars. This extraordinary commitment shows the local government's confidence in tourism as a cornerstone of its future.

"We welcome everyone around the world to come and see this winter wonderland," Sun said in an invitation to the audience via China Global Television Network (CGTN).