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January 8, 2018

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Harbin’s spectacular ice show is under way

Source: AP | 00:01 UTC+8 January 8, 2018 | Print Edition

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.

The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in the frigid northeastern Chinese city is known for massive, elaborate and colorfully lit ice sculptures featuring animals, cartoon characters and landmarks.

Some of this year’s displays center on the Belt and Road initiative — an ambitious plan to connect Asia with Europe and Africa along, and beyond, ancient trade routes by putting in place an unparalleled trade and infrastructure network.

Ice sculpture artist Han Zhenkun designed his work based on the historic Silk Road. “Back then, through the Silk Road, exquisite art works from China like potteries were transported by camels and horses to the Western world,” Han said.

Main activities start this week and the festival runs through late February, with heavy crowds expected during Lunar New Year celebrations. Temperatures at this time of the year can dip below minus 18 degrees Celsius.

Last year’s festival drew 18 million visitors and 28.7 billion yuan (US$4.4 billion) in tourism revenue for Harbin, data from the city’s tourism bureau showed.

One park, the Harbin Ice-Snow World, features more than 2,000 ice sculptures made from 180,000 cubic meters of ice collected from the Songhua River by nearly 1,000 workers.

In the evening, sculptures are lit with colorful lights.

In addition to ice sculpture competitions, the festival also includes winter swimming, ice hockey, skiing and snow biking.

“Art has no borders,” Han said. “It’s an abstract language. We communicate with our works in this international event. It means a lot.”

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