A visitor plays a popular game of splashing hot water, which generates vapor in the cold air. [Photo By Liu Xiangrui / China Daily]

It was worth enduring the cold to experience Mohe's magic.

I'd prepared fretfully.

I borrowed thick shoes and other winterwear from friends. But I realized I had to buy even warmer footwear upon arrival.

Still, my feet froze.

Nonetheless, I was excited, as were the other tourists in our group from the southern province of Guangdong.

We spent the first night in the county town, where illuminated ice and snow sculptures lined the streets.

We headed to Beiji the next day.

About two decades ago, it was a poor hamlet. Today, it's a national 5A (the highest level) tourist attraction.

We climbed a lookout tower halfway to the village and saw a river snaking through woodlands of rime-sheathed trees.

Then, we enjoyed a stroll along a boardwalk through birch forests.