Ice, snow hot spots spin money in winter

Ice shaped like a blossoming lotus and cute hedgehogs are among the attractions that recently made a salt lake, known as "China's Dead Sea", a tourism hot spot in the biting winter in North China.

Yuncheng Salt Lake in Shanxi province covers an area of 132 square kilometers. Located in the city of Yuncheng, the lake was recently covered in "mirabilite flowers of various forms" as mirabilite crystallized on the lake surface.

The crystal-clear "flowers" attracted quite a few tourists despite the freezing cold. "I've waited many days to take pictures of this phenomenon," said photographer Zhao Peng. "The temperature has dropped today, which helped the mirabilite crystallize."