In north China’s Inner Mongolia, frozen lakes are turning winter chill into economic opportunity. Yakeshi city has transformed a frozen lake in the Miandu River National Wetland Park into the country’s largest winter automotive testing ground.
The ice-covered lake draws more than 60,000 engineers annually to test vehicle performance in extreme cold. Winters here last six months, with temperatures dropping below- 40 degrees Celsius. Yet the harsh climate is fueling a booming industry.
The idea began in 2006: could the lake’s 300-hectare ice surface be leased to automakers while migratory birds leave for the south? Bosch was the first to test vehicles on the ice, and the concept has grown steadily.
In 2024, the site hosted 2,676 vehicle tests and 66,000 engineer visits. The business generated 179 million yuan (about $25.47 million) in revenue and created more than 2,000 jobs. Yakeshi now controls around 40 percent of China’s winter vehicle testing market.
Han Tiefeng, deputy director of the Yakeshi High-Tech Industrial Development Service Center, explained the city’s strengths: “Extreme cold, a stable climate, and ecological protection create a unique advantage.”
The business model balances economic growth and environmental protection. In summer, the wetland serves as a habitat for migratory birds. In winter, it becomes a testing ground. All revenue from ice-surface leasing is reinvested into wetland infrastructure and ecological restoration, forming a cycle of “using ice to nourish green, and green to sustain ice.”
The testing zone occupies just 5.28 percent of the park. Corporate facilities are all located outside the protected area.
The automotive testing industry has also boosted local tourism, lodging, dining, and agricultural sales. Over the last decade, Yakeshi has seen a 65 percent increase in tourist visits and a 46 percent rise in tourism revenue.
This winter economy is highlighted by the Inner Mongolia Ice & Snow Festival, held across Hulun Buir City. Launched on December 21, 2025, the festival combines professional racing with public ice and snow tourism. Racers experience winding rivers, snow-covered plains, forests, and extreme cold conditions of minus 40 degrees Celsius.
The festival’s opening ceremony was followed by three races across Hulun Buir’s sub-regions. Ergun hosted hundreds of winter sports enthusiasts and 400 competing vehicles.
Across Inner Mongolia, diverse ice and snow experiences attract tourists. Visitors can enjoy Genhe’s reindeer-tribe experiences, Alxa League’s desert snowscapes, Ulanqab’s volcanic ice, and Manzhouli’s international ice and snow festival.
Between November 2024 and January 2025, the region’s 13 ice and snow theme parks earned over 29.79 million yuan in ticket sales, a 25.76 percent increase from the previous year.
Ji Xiaoqing, director of the regional cultural and tourism department, said, “Inner Mongolia is using its cultural distinctiveness to energize tourism. Diverse travel products are activating ‘cold resources’ and sustaining the ice and snow industry.”
The Yakeshi model shows how harsh winter conditions can become an economic asset. By blending automotive testing, tourism, and festivals, the region has created jobs, boosted revenue, and preserved its natural environment.
The combination of industry and tourism is giving Inner Mongolia a competitive edge, proving that even extreme cold can generate warmth for the local economy. Visitors and engineers alike now see the frozen landscape not as a challenge, but as an opportunity for growth, adventure, and sustainable development.
