Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Zhang Xiaomi) news: "In the winter of Xinjiang, what awaits you is not biting cold but another world ablaze with warmth." On January 28, 2026, Niu Siyuan extended an invitation on WeChat Moments. As a professional photographer and documentary filmmaker, he has in recent years devoted himself to promoting tourism in Xinjiang through visual storytelling. Beyond picturesque landscapes, he foregrounds the human dimension and lived experience, featuring distinctive boutique homestays, restaurants, lesser-known hiking routes, and locally characteristic ways of travel. "I hope to show more people and to share the Xinjiang I see."

Photo shows splendid winter scenery of Xinjiang. (Photo by Niu Siyuan)

Niu previously won the Grand Prize at the iPhone Photography Awards (IPPA) for his work "The Old Man and the Eagle" and now has approximately 250,000 followers across major platforms. Recently, he has been updating his personal social-media accounts on a weekly basis with beautiful winter scenery, stories, and travel guides of Xinjiang, using images to build a bridge connecting Xinjiang with the wider world.

Photo shows splendid winter scenery of Xinjiang. (Photo by Niu Siyuan)

"I have an exceptionally deep attachment to the winter in my hometown. In my view, the most distinctive feature of Xinjiang's winter, compared with anywhere else, is its supremely dramatic snow scenery," said Niu Siyuan. Whenever he responds to followers asking, "What are the most popular winter destinations in Xinjiang?", he can list them off effortlessly: those who enjoy a lively atmosphere can head to the Jiangjunshan International Ski Resort to join "Sunset Party." Those who prefer quiet can go to Hemu, retreat into the deep mountains, and savor the pleasures of solitude. And in the Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, winter grasslands, forests, and snow vistas combine into a distinctive beauty that photographs exceptionally well.

"Winter light in Xinjiang is excellent—the colder the weather, the cleaner and more pristine the light captured in photos," Niu added. He has long told photography enthusiasts from other place that, for winter image-making in Xinjiang, technique is not the most important thing, the key is to come—quite literally—to stand within the scenery.

To capture most extreme beauty in winter, Niu Siyuan often hikes through snowfields and waits in place for extended periods. To photograph the sunset in Hemu, he once trekked for more than two hours through deep snow and was nearly frozen through. Yet when crimson afterglow flooded the snowy expanse, the impact of that moment became unforgettable to him: "Winter can have such warm colors—almost dreamlike." This winter, Niu Siyuan has focused mainly on shooting around Urumqi. "The winter scenery of the Nanshan area is also stunning—especially ski resorts such as the Silk Road Mountain Resort. I photograph them every year, but there are still major changes. This year’s fairy-tale night views were a wonderful surprise."

Photo shows Niu Siyuan focuses his camera on the scenery as well as the people living here. (Photo by Niu Siyuan)

Beyond the scenery itself, the encounters that occur during filming move him even more deeply. Niu Siyuan recalls one occasion when he and more than a dozen photographers from both within and outside Xinjiang were shooting in Keketuohai. Despite being cold and tired, they were warmly invited into a yurt by local herdsmen. "Baorsak and mutton soup are the most common meals, but on that freezing night, they were the warmest flavors of winter. We insisted on leaving payment for the meal, and we also took portraits for them as keepsakes, allowing kindness to flow towards each other," Niu Siyuan said. Such plain yet genuine interpersonal warmth constitutes the most distinctive "cultural temperature" of winter tourism in Xinjiang and also the most precious material captured by his lens.

Photo shows Niu Siyuan at the snowfield. (Photo provided by Niu Siyuan)

In Niu Siyuan's view, the integration of culture and tourism is a natural extension of everyday life. "Horse-drawn sledding, winter fishing, and the like are skills that local people developed over long-term living in harmony with nature." Increasingly, his camera attends to the relationship between people and the environment, focusing on the ardent vitality of life atop ice and snow, narrating pastoral migrations, harvests from frozen lakes, and the making of traditional fur skis. "Even in an icy and snowy environment, there is a warm vitality." he said.

How can Xinjiang's winter be seen by more people? Niu Siyuan believes that the humanistic depth of documentary film can be transformed into immersive experiences that are interactive and participatory. From a professional vantage point, he hopes to tell a series of winter stories of Xinjiang that are at once visually arresting, rich in human warmth, and open to engagement. "The ultimate goal is to make every snowflake fall into the hearts of the audience."

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