Salt flowers bloom at millenium-old salt lake in N China's Shanxi

Photo taken on Jan. 23, 2026 shows beautiful salt flowers (mirabilite crystals) blooming at the millennium-old salt lake in Yuncheng City, north China's Shanxi Province as temperatures drop in winter. Varied in shape and crystal-clear, the salt flowers sparkle like dazzling diamonds in the sunlight, presenting a breathtaking sight.

Formed under specific climatic conditions, these salt flowers are mirabilite crystals created when sodium sulfate in the lake water crystallizes after exposure to wind and cold air. (Yang Jianfeng/Guangming Pictures)

Photo taken on Jan. 23, 2026 shows beautiful salt flowers (mirabilite crystals) blooming at the millennium-old salt lake in Yuncheng City, north China's Shanxi Province as temperatures drop in winter. Varied in shape and crystal-clear, the salt flowers sparkle like dazzling diamonds in the sunlight, presenting a breathtaking sight.

Formed under specific climatic conditions, these salt flowers are mirabilite crystals created when sodium sulfate in the lake water crystallizes after exposure to wind and cold air. (Yang Jianfeng/Guangming Pictures)

Photo taken on Jan. 23, 2026 shows beautiful salt flowers (mirabilite crystals) blooming at the millennium-old salt lake in Yuncheng City, north China's Shanxi Province as temperatures drop in winter. Varied in shape and crystal-clear, the salt flowers sparkle like dazzling diamonds in the sunlight, presenting a breathtaking sight.

Formed under specific climatic conditions, these salt flowers are mirabilite crystals created when sodium sulfate in the lake water crystallizes after exposure to wind and cold air. (Yang Jianfeng/Guangming Pictures)