China's Ice City, Harbin, geared up on Thursday (January 4) for its 34th annual International Ice and Snow Festival ahead of its official opening on Friday (January 5).

Artists gathered at the festival venue to put the final touches on their ice sculptures, some resembled famous historical figures and landmarks such as Beijing's Temple of Heaven and Moscow's Red Square.

The head of the local sculpture academy Han Zhenkun says the sheer size of the sculptures displayed at the Harbin Ice festival is what differentiates it from other festivals around the world.

Tourists from across the country flocked to Harbin for a glimpse of the fairy tale like ice world. The city started preparing for the festival in early December gathering large blocks of ice from the Songhua River.

Harbin one of China's coldest places where temperatures can drop as low as 35 degrees Celsius below zero, has held its ice festival since 1983.