A skier on a slope at Jiangjunshan Ski Resort, which offers 18 trails of various degrees of difficulty.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Altay's cool summertime weather - averaging between 0.2 C and 4 C - has long made it an ideal summer getaway.

Visitors explore its glacial rivers, forests and marshes when its temperatures peak.

And increasingly now as they plummet, too.

The prefecture is dotted with geological and forest parks.

And it hosts cultural appeal.

Half of Altay's population is ethnic Kazak.

"Many visitors come to experience local history and health treatments," Li says.

They watch Kazak hunters use golden eagles to catch rabbits.