Famed for its amazingly intricate sculptures and massive replicas of global icons, the Harbin International Snow and Ice Festival is now underway.
Made up of several themed zones, the event area covers an area of about 750,000 square meters, say organizers.
Works are mostly inspired by Chinese fairy tales and famous landmarks, such as the Great Wall of China, the Egyptian Pyramids and Iceland’s Hallgrimskirkja church.
It’s best seen at night when sculptures are lit up from the inside, giving the whole area a fairyland feel.
The capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Harbin is a bitingly cold city with January daytime temperatures ranging from minus 13-23 Celsius.
Due to Harbin’s close proximity to Russia, its northern neighbor’s influence permeates everything from architecture to food.
Since 1985, the Harbin International Snow and Ice Festival has grown to become one of the biggest snow festival destinations in the world, joining the ranks of the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan, Canada’s Quebec Winter Carnival and Norway’s Holmenkollen Ski Festival.
Depending on weather conditions, the festival usually lasts until March.
A huge fireworks display was originally planned to kick off the Harbin International Snow and Ice Festival on January 5, but officials reportedly canceled the event due to safety concerns following the deadly New Year stampede in Shanghai.
Harbin Snow and Ice Festival, north bank of Songhua River, Songbei District, Harbin, China