The photo shows a PVA POW sitting at an American camp, bare feet at −36 °F（−38 °C). The PVA 9th Army was stationed in Fujian (Southern China, across the Taiwan strait) before being sent to Korea.
Peng and Mao ordered that the second phase offensive must be launched simultaneously on the Western front (against the U.S. 8th Army) and the eastern front (against the X Corp). Time is on the essence, so the PVA 9th army didn’t have the time to be properly prepared for the winter while staging in Manchuria.
The PVA suffered nearly 30k non-combat casualties in the harsh winter environment, many had to be amputated.
