A rare bout of rime ice has transformed the Gobi Desert in north China’s Inner Mongolia into a striking winter landscape, offering an unexpected contrast to its normally arid surroundings.

In Ejina Banner of Alxa League, successive cold fronts brought snowfall to vast stands of Populus euphratica, covering branches in fine layers of crystal-clear rime. Stretching across some 30,000 hectares, the ancient desert forests rose from frozen ground, their ice-coated limbs shimmering softly under the winter light.

Rime ice forms only when extremely low temperatures combine with sufficient moisture, making it an uncommon sight in Ejina Banner, where annual rainfall is typically below 40 millimetres. The fleeting spectacle has turned the desert into a natural gallery, attracting visitors eager to experience this rare and quietly enchanting winter scene.

Source: China Central Television