Top 5 Coldest Places in China… Brrr, and You Think Where You Live Is Cold

Tree branches rimed with frost outside a snow-covered village in Heilongjiang Province, China.
Reading about these places in China may just give you a new perspective on the real meaning of cold! (Image: Xishuiyuan via Dreamstime)

As the Northern Hemisphere descends into the depths of winter, many of us are really dreading the chill, and some areas are feeling it already. However, this is nothing compared to the freezing temperatures in the coldest places in China.

Just reading about the annual Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in Harbin gave me a real sense of the sub-zero realm.

But if you check out these other coldest places in China, they might just give you a whole new perspective on the real meaning of cold!

5 of the coldest places in China

1. Ituri River, Inner Mongolia

Ituri River is clearly one of the coldest places in China. The lowest recorded temperature here was -62°F (-52.2°C)!

The township is located in the city of Yakeshi in Hulunbuir at around 2,400 feet above sea level.

It has an average temperature of about -24°F (-31.1°C), and mornings are even colder with a thick fog hanging over the area.

The Ituri River in Inner Mongolia is one of the coldest places in China.
Mornings are even colder with a thick fog hanging over the area. (Image: Xishuiyuan via Dreamstime)

2. Genhe, Inner Mongolia 

Just one degree behind No. 1 with the lowest ever temperature of -61°F (-51.7°C) is Genhe, which is also in Hulunbuir.

Genhe sits at an elevation of about 1,700 feet and has the country’s greatest difference between nighttime and daytime temperatures.

The biggest range was on June 13, 2004, when it was 25°F (-3.9°C) at 6 a.m., but had jumped to 88°F (31.1°C) by 2 p.m.

Photo of The Hulunbuir prairie river wetlands of Genhe in China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.
Genhe sits at an elevation of about 1,700 feet and has the country’s greatest difference between nighttime and daytime temperatures. (Image: Li Yong via Dreamstime)

3. Mohe, Heilongjiang

Mohe is truly one of the coldest places in China. On Feb. 13, 1962, the mercury plummeted to a bone-chilling -62.1°F (-52.3°C).

Situated in the northeastern Heilongjiang Province at around 1,400 feet, Mohe is the northernmost county in the People’s Republic of China. Beiji Village or the “Arctic Village” is located on the Russian border, and the Northern Lights can sometimes be seen here.

In January, the average temperature is around -23°F (-30.6°C). This area also experiences extreme temperatures, with the highest recorded at about 103°Fahrenheit (39.4°C)!

Snow village on a sunny day in Mohe County, northernmost China.
In Mohe county, the average temperature in January is around -23°F (-30.6°C). (Image: Ninlawan Donlakkham via Dreamstime)

4. Huma, Heilongjiang

Adjoining Mohe is Huma county where the average January temperature is -18°F (-27.8°C), and it can sometimes get up to -4°F (-20°C). So winters here are long and cold!

Snow pile in the show town, Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province, China.
Winters in Huma are long and cold! (Image: Alexlp via Dreamstime)

5. Fuyun, Xinjiang

The lowest recorded temperature here was -58°F (-50°C).

Stone tower at the top of the mountain,Xinjiang winter scenery.
The lowest recorded temperature in Fuyun County, Xinjiang Province was -58°F. (Image: Niuniu via Dreamstime)

Fuyun County is situated at an elevation of around 2,660 feet in the north-western Xinjiang Province. The average temperature for January is -17.5°F (-27.5°C).

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