The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in the frigid northeastern Chinese city are known for massive, elaborate and colourfully lit ice sculptures featuring animals, cartoon characters and landmarks. The month-long festival showcases massive ice monuments and opened for visitors from January 2, 2018. Days of the Chinses lunar new year celebrations, which are held from February 15 to February 23, are expected to be most crowded days. The temperature at this time of the year can dip below -18 degree Celsius, but that doesn't deter people from thronging to the festival each year. Last year's festival drew 18 million visitors and $4.4 billion in tourism revenue for Harbin, data from the city's tourism bureau showed.
For the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, 2018, ice sculpture artist Han Zhenkun designed his work based on the historic Silk Road."Back then, through the Silk Road, exquisite artworks from China like potteries were transported by camels and horses to the Western world," Han told AP. Ice sculptures of Moscow's Red Square and Bangkok's Temple of the Emerald Buddha are among landmarks featured in the world's largest ice festival.One park, the Harbin Ice-Snow World, features more than 2,000 ice sculptures made from 180,000 cum of ice collected from the Songhua River by nearly a thousand workers.In the evening, sculptures are lit with colourful lights.In addition to ice sculpture competitions, the festival also includes activities such as winter swimming, ice hockey, skiing and snow biking.
Visitors explore the beautiful monuments of Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival.The sculptures look especially beautiful in the evening when the colourful lights are switched on, creating a winter wonderland.According to reports, some of this year's displays Chinese President Xi Jinping's major foreign policy and trade initiative.The One Belt One Road project is also displayed at Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival.
