The northern Chinese province of Heilongjiang plays host to a huge festival of ice sculptures and more through to Feb. 25.
The city of Harbin is famous for its frigid climate, allowing huge swathes of the city to house ice sculptures. There are two main areas for tourists to visit, Sun Island and Ice and Snow World, both of which display some of the biggest ice sculptures in the world.
© Marcovarro | Dreamstime
China has become synonymous with events and structures of truly amazing scale, and the ice festival is no different as it recently became the largest ice sculpture festival in the world. In total, there are around 180,000 cubic meters of ice and 150,000 cubic meters of snow in use at the festival. Anyone who has been to one of the European ice festivals, such as Bruges, will be in awe of the show in Harbin, which dwarves most of its rivals.
Wander around the elaborate ice world, featuring palaces, sculptures, bridges and ice slides you can ride down. The blocks are taken from the Songhua River before being carved into shape and put in place.
© Giuseppe Sparta | Dreamstime
Despite the freezing temperatures, the ice sculpture festival is incredibly popular. Last year, it was visited by more than 1 million people, and its popularity looks set to continue.
Harbin is just a short flight from Beijing, served by all major airlines. Take in the ice festival and spend a few days in the Chinese capital, or head further south to Shanghai before flying home.
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