Once known only for its bone-chilling temperatures, Beiji Village, located at the northernmost tip of China, has transformed into a thriving tourist destination.

The village in Mohe City, in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, holds the record for China's lowest ever recorded temperature at minus 52 degrees Celsius, with its winter lasting up to seven months.

"During the winter, there's nothing to do, so there's no income. So, everyone here hates the winter. We used to think that when we grow up, we'd move to a warmer place, instead of staying here in this land of ice and snow," said Shi Ruijuan, a villager.

While Shi Ruijuan and other villagers have long endured the cold, young people moved away, pursuing opportunities that this isolated community simply could not offer.

But one day she noticed something strange - that people were coming to the village willingly just to enjoy the cold.

"I was like, why would anyone come to this frozen, icy place? There were people rolling around in the snow here. Like, why?" she questioned.

The conditions Shi grew up despising were actually an attraction for outsiders. But she realized the village was missing something.

"They asked me, 'Where can we stay?' and I was completely at a loss for words. I had no idea what to say or recommend," she said.

It was at this very moment that she recognized opportunities to generate income during the winter. She transformed three of her home's spare bedrooms into what would become the village's very first homestay.

Her entrepreneurial spirit aligns with President Xi Jinping's vision in 2016. "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and I believe Heilongjiang's ice and snow are also gold mines," Xi said.

For the people of northeastern China, the vision has ignited a long-held aspiration. Efforts to develop winter tourist experiences in the region have taken center stage and a growing number of villagers have started tourism-related businesses.

Amid the hustle and bustle of hosting travelers from across the country, Shi one day welcomed a rather 'special guest.' In September 2023, Xi made his trip to Beiji Village and visited her homestay.

"We were sitting together in this room, chatting. I told President Xi at the time that my biggest wish was to open another guesthouse. When President Xi heard that, he said, 'Oh, so you're planning to start a chain!' I thought to myself 'I should really work toward that bigger goal!'" she said.

"Following our established goals, we will continue to move forward, alongside all the people of China, toward Chinese-style modernization," Xi told the villagers.

Amid the crowd was Guo Haotian, a villager who had also once planned to escape the local harsh weather but changed his mind after graduating from college.

"I happened to be there on a family visit. I had thought about opening a homestay back home, but I wasn't very determined. When I heard President Xi's words that Beiji Village's future development was promising, I felt that I could go for it," he said.

This growing enthusiasm has enabled Shi's dream to become reality a lot sooner than she expected. She recently opened a new homestay named 'Lush Water Lodge.'

And her ambitions don't stop here.

"Now I have the Lush Water Lodge, right? My next one will be called 'Lush Mountain.' Because 'Lucid waters and lush mountains, as well as ice and snow, are treasures of gold mines," she said.