In the beginning of the new year, nature's breathtaking spectacles such as meteor showers and light pillars have graced the night skies of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the northwest and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the north.
The first meteor shower of 2025 lit up the night sky over Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from Friday to Saturday.
In Karamay City, the annual Quadrantid meteor shower streaked across the sky at a rate of nearly a hundred shooting stars per hour during the early hours of Saturday, offering stargazers a celestial treat.
The Quadrantid meteor shower is one of the three major meteor showers in the northern hemisphere, alongside with the Perseids and Geminids.
Further to the west, stunning red aurora painted the Sayram Lake with radiant hues on Friday night. Nestled in the embrace of Tianshan Mountains, the lake's frozen surface reflected the softly blowing curtain of brilliance, creating a mesmerizing interplay of light and color.
In Inner Mongolia, rare light pillars were seen during two frigid winter nights with vertical beams of light extending from the ground into the sky, glowing with a riot of colors like red, orange, yellow and green.
Light pillars are an optical phenomenon caused by the refraction of light through ice crystals in the air, requiring exceptionally subzero temperatures, high humidity and little to no wind. A recent snow and cold snap in the region created the ideal conditions for these light pillars to occur with wide coverage, strong luminosity and extended duration.
Spectacular meteor shower, mysterious light pillars dazzle night skies in China
Starting from Jan 1, "Beijing Service," a service platform backed by the Beijing municipal government, extended its coverage to the city's two international airports, setting up 24-hour kiosks to facilitate visitors from abroad.
On the first day of 2025, two Beijing Service kiosks near the international arrivals areas of Beijing's Capital International Airport and Daxing International Airport were put into use, with well-trained staff providing 24-hour multilingual services for global travelers.
"This year we have set up service stations in Beijing's Capital International Airport and Daxing International Airport to provide travelers with one-stop services including payment setup, mobile phone services, and transport and tourism consultation, covering four categories of more than 20 convenient services. The services aim to further facilitate foreigners to study, travel, or live in Beijing, and to upgrade the level of Beijing's international services," said Zhang Li, division chief of the Beijing Municipal Administration of Government Services and Data Management.
The move came after the city's recent poll with international visitors on what could be done to improve their experience in China, aiming to better support the surging global visitors brought by the country's visa-free policies.
The Beijing Service platform can now provide a one-stop solution to newcomers, and address most of the common concerns of foreign travelers.
"So far, I haven't had any problems, and it seems quite straightforward and it's easy to follow the instructions, everyone gives clear instructions, so it's quite easy to follow. So far everyone I have talked to is able to give feedback (on) what I needed, so it's been good," said Rahima Siddiqui, a traveler from New Zealand.
Beijing Service platform offers one-stop solutions to int'l visitors
