China's 'pole of cold' begins supplying heat

(ECNS) -- Genhe City, known as China's "Pole of Cold" in the northernmost tip of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has supplied heat since September.

Data from the local meteorological authorities showed that the lowest temperature in the urban area of Genhe has dropped to minus 2.6 degrees Celsius recently.

Genhe is one of the earliest cities in China to offer heat, with a heating period lasting up to nine months. The annual average temperature in the city is minus 5.3 degrees Celsius. The lowest temperature is minus 58 degrees Celsius. The frost-free period here lasts only about 70 days throughout the year, in sharp contrast to the freezing period of more than 210 days.

The heating area of downtown Genhe City has reached 2.12 million square meters nowadays.