HARBIN ICE AND SNOW FESTIVAL

The Harbin festival was first held in 1963 and was interupted for a few years during the
Cultural Revolution, then restored in 1985. It is one of the four biggest snow and ice festivals
in the world. The festival usually takes place from early January to late February in Harbin,
China. However, depending on weather conditions, the ice exhibition may open earlier and
last longer. It is held in an area of over 600,000 square meters with more than 100
sculptures, made from more than 220,000 cubic meters of ice and snow. The city’s
northeastern location in China allows for natural and abundant ice and snow, nicknaming
the city as the ‘Ice City’. Not only is Harbin is recognized as the ice capital of China, but
Harbin is also renowned for its incredibly exquisite ice and snow sculptures.

Ice blocks taken from the surface of the Songhua River are cut into blocks with a saw.
Various saws are used by ice sculptors to create giant works. Many artists had to design and
work day and night to open the festival.The technology of decorating ice sculptures ranges
from modern (using lasers) to traditional (ice lanterns). There are ice lights performances in
the parks in the city. Winter activities during the festival include Yabuli Alpine skiing,
swimming in the Songhua River and an ice lantern exhibition at Zhaolin Garden. Several ice
sculptures were made from earlier years, including: buildings and monuments of various
architectural styles and genres, images of animals, people, images of legends, slippery
slopes or lanterns. In addition to the winter entertainment in Harbin, these elaborate giant
ice structures are the key to attracting visitors from all over the world to attend the festival.

If you have time or conditions, I recommend you to come here at least once in your life to
enjoy a great masterpiece made by the hands of talented artists in this place.