Heilongjiang

Hundreds of dancers twirl in unison by a riverside in northeastern China, thrusting hips and shimmying shoulders in an unusual but beloved routine that has taken the country by storm.

China has a vibrant public square-dancing culture, with ranks of retirees thronging city plazas at dawn and dusk to groove in time to thumping electronic music.

Temperatures yesterday in a remote town in northwestern China exceeded 52 degrees Celsius, setting a new record for the country, which only six months ago was struggling with temperatures of minus 50 degrees, state media reported, cited by Reuters.

A city in northern China is building a 3,000-unit quarantine facility to deal with an anticipated overflow of patients as COVID-19 cases rise ahead of the Lunar New Year travel rush.

The city of Harbin is blocked.

The northeastern Chinese city of Harbin, with a population of 10 million, is the largest coronavirus outbreak in the country right now, according to the Daily Mail. Since Wednesday, authorities have taken strict measures to curb the infection.

China's most festive holiday began in the shadow of a worrying new virus on Jan. 25 as the death toll surpassed 40, an unprecedented lockdown that kept people from traveling was expanded to more than 50 million residents and authorities canceled a host of Lunar New Year events.

A city of ice has been constructed in Heilongjiang province, north-eastern China for the 32nd Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival.

Ice castles, towers and structures illuminated with colored lights will be the main subject of the annual festival.