Temperature at Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve in Yanbian county, Northeast China's Jilin province, has recently tumbled to as low as -27 C, leaving Tianchi Lake covered in ice.

This spectacular scene arrived about two weeks earlier than the previous year, thanks to a cold snap.

Changbai Mountain, which borders the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, remains frozen for a large part of the year.

The reserve has long been a major tourist destination in not only the winter, but also the summer.