Genhe debuts Cold Pole Festival for Christmas

A home of the hunting tribe of the Aolu Guya Ewenki. [Photo by Bi Nan/chinadaily.com.cn]

The city of Genhe, located in Northern China, held its first Cold Pole Festival from December 24 - 25. With the theme “Colder, but more enthusiastic,” the festival featured various activities such as art performances, experiencing the ice and snow in extremely cold air, a visit with China’s last hunting tribe, local folk cultures and spending Christmas Day with Finland’s Santa Claus.

Genhe, one of China's most northerly county-level administrative districts in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, is the site of China's lowest recorded temperature ever at -58 C.

Known as the “Cold Pole,” tourists here can experience the extremely cold weather, enjoy the beautiful winter scenery and engage in ice and snow activities and even visit the homes of local residents to taste traditional food.

The winter festival also provides opportunities for people to visit China’s last hunting tribe, the Aolu Guya Ewenki in Genhe, who are reindeer hunters living in the Greater Hingan Mountain, China’s largest forest area.

Also at the festival was Finland’s very own Santa Clause, who was invited to celebrate this year’s Christmas with the local people.

The Cold Pole Festival is also held along with the 14th Ice and Snow Naadam festival to present the unique ethnic cultures of Inner Mongolia.