Parts of north China recorded some of their coldest temperatures this winter in recent days, with thermometers plummeting as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius as a frigid cold gripped the region.
Hulun Buir, a city in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, recorded a temperature of minus 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday.
In Alongshan, the mercury dropped to minus 44 degrees Celsius, the coldest temperature in the town this winter.
The towns of Yitulihe and Mangui were shrouded in ice fog, severely reducing visibility. Vehicles crawled along with fog lights on, while pedestrians, wrapped up tightly against the cold, had thick frost accumulating on their hats and eyelashes
"The wind feels like needles on the face. We dare not stop working. If we do, we'll freeze completely," said a sanitation worker.
According to the local meteorological agency in Hulun Buir, 13 of the city's 45 weather monitoring stations reported temperatures below minus 40 degree Celsius from Saturday morning to Sunday morning.
Light snow is expected in parts of Hailar throughout the week.
Meanwhile, in Daxing'anling, a prefecture in northern parts of Heilongjiang Province, temperatures also plummeted dramatically.
On Saturday, temperatures dropped to minus 41.5 degree Celsius in Huzhong District, causing the fur of local dogs to be frosted white from the cold.
Despite the extreme temperatures, the Humar River continues to flow, presenting a unique spectacle.
Temperatures drop below minus 40 degrees Celsius in parts of north China
People in the Republic of the Congo say they are looking forward to expanding cooperation with China to more fields including medicine.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is going to visit the central African country on Tuesday, as part of his four-nation tour of Africa.
Officials said that the two sides will implement some of the programs that were agreed upon at last year's Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing.
Economic relations between China and the Republic of the Congo date back to the 1960s.
Over the years, China has built factories, roads and bridges that have helped transform the country's agriculture-based economy into a semi-industrialized one.
Crude oil, copper and wood have been the Republic of the Congo's major exports to China, according to global trade data.
Congolese people hope their government can work to strengthen relations with one of the country's most important partners. In addition to infrastructure, people say some of the other areas that China and the Republic of the Congo plan to develop include health, agriculture and security.
"For me I think cooperation should extend to the healthcare sector, as we know that Chinese are good at medicine," said Ragma Nganga, a university student in Brazzaville.
"Cooperation between China and Congo has been remarkable especially in infrastructure projects. Chinese have built many roads," said Josue Mifoundou, a local digital media practitioner.
In 2018, China and the Republic of the Congo signed a memorandum of understanding on projects under the Belt and Road Initiative - China's flagship infrastructure initiative that's helping link Asia, Europe, Latin America and Africa to China through ports, roads and railways.
Congolese people anticipate expanded cooperation with China
