Snapshots

The beat goes on: Miao villagers in Guiyang, Guizhou province, perform a drum-beating ceremony on Dec 10 for a traditional Miao festival honoring the dead. The ceremony is listed as part of the city's intangible cultural heritage. Wu Dongjun / China Daily

Monkey do: A monkey shows his athletic prowess at the sixth Monkey King Competition on Dec 6 in Lixin county, Anhui province, which is popular for its monkey circuses.  Zhang Yanlin / for China Daily

Natural sculptures: Visitors take in the icy scenery at Hukou Waterfall on the Yellow River on Dec 6. The waterfall, located where Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces meet, is the nation's second-largest. Lv Guiming / Xinhua

A neon giant: Hong Kong's first observation wheel, located next to the Central Waterfront Promenade, was opened to the public on Dec 5. The ferris wheel has 42 gondolas that can each hold up to eight people. Edmond Tang / China Daily

Where do you think you're going? A lobster, which escaped from its fishtank at a Chongqing seafood market, meets a feline foe on Dec 5. Chang Xu / for China Daily