The inhabitants of Harbin are organizing each year a competition named „Snow Ice Festival”. The temperatures in Harbin are often enough to minus 40°C and remain over a half year under the freezing point. This city is appropriate for approx. 450 km in Chinese Manchuria, northwest from Vladivostok in Siberia. Here one can converse in the winter best by a “open air festival”!
The first exhibition was in 1963. The annual festival dates however starting from 1985. Since then the festival grew to a mass event, to which millions tourists come from all over the world. Thus the sculptures became more beautiful and more artistic each year; this bear is a small part 50 meters is enough for wall sculpture.
Each team receives a Snowblock of 3 x 3 m, from which it makes its figures. The teams come from all sides: Russia, Japan, Canada, France and even of South Africa.
Here you have a sunset behind the entrance sculpture.
The Festival area goes up to the open area north the river into Harbin: Songhua Jiang.
I was surprised by a sculpture of a Indian native of North America, built by a Canadian team.
The Ice festival goes over a few kilometer. Neon lights strengthen the effect still more and from the background hear one quiet music.
Here an overview of the Ice festival. One could think, one is in Disneyland. Everywhere feeding and drinks stands are developed. The only difference are the deep temperatures and that everything is built from ice.
A palace in the Russian style
This wall is also an ice-skating rink, on which one can slip with high speed down.
A ship, completely from ice built, with passengers on board.
The most popular activity with the festival is climbing on the large ice wall.
