In the otherworldly scenic spot of Kanas in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, about 1,000 tourists from around the country poured snow on each other to ring in the New Year.

The scene was part of the 11th ice and snow tourism festival in Kanas during the New Year holiday.

Authorities in the locality incorporated winter entertainment facilities and local ethnic traditions to attract visitors. Activities included skiing, archery, wrestling and motor-cycling in the snow. Tourists saw beautiful snow frost, as locals in ethnic clothes performed.

"The village presents itself as a place of fairytale," said Ye Bin, a tourist from Urumqi, the regional capital. "I felt like I was in a snowy wonderland."

In recent years, winter entertainment in the autonomous region has greatly improved, and local authorities are cashing in on winter tourism.

Li Bing, an official of Altay Prefecture, which administers Kanas, said that they planned to introduce more leisure activities to lure tourists to Altay.

"We will turn the 'cold' resources into a 'hot' economy," Li said.

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