Harbin - China's Magical City of Ice

China’s Magical City of Ice

By Sumitra on January 9th, 2012 Category: Pics, Travel

Ice sculptures are common in wedding parties and other occasions, but nothing you’ve seen before can compare to the ones displayed every year in the city of Harbin in China. While the place is cursed with terrible winters, the tough locals have managed to make the most of it.

A typical winter in Harbin, northern China, would see temperatures go as low as 2°F (that’s –19°C). Strong, cold winds blow in from Siberia, making almost everything freeze over. But the residents of the city keep themselves busy for several weeks during the winter season, hosting the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. The sculptures made as a part of this festival aren’t anything like your typical faries and unicorns. Artists and engineers get together to build massive structures out of ice – a small town if you will, consisting of churches, pyramids, pagodas and palaces. The structures are filled with modern amenities like elevators and escalators. Multicolored lights are installed inside the sculptures, making them look very beautiful in the dark, after sunset.

Photo © triplefivedrew

The Harbin Ice Sculpture Festival has been held every year since it started in 1985, and is now considered one of the largest displays of ice structures in the world. Several tourists take a winter holiday to Harbin to witness the beauty of the delightful paradise of ice and snow. Sculptures ranging in size from the tiniest to the largest can be seen at the event, including models of famous streets, buildings and people in the world. Aimed primarily at enhancing tourism, the festival includes other winter activities like ice hockey, skating, skiing, and ice sailing. Performances are held on ice too, of folk songs and dances and sometimes even wedding ceremonies.

Photo © triplefivedrew

One could say the Harbin Ice Festival is a classic example of humans making the most of their harsh environment. The 2012 edition started on January 5 and will last until the end of February. Organizers expect over one million tourists.