Construction has begun on the annual snow and ice sculpture festival in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province in northeast China.
The event, the largest of its kind in the world, has in previous years attracted 18 million visitors and generated $4.4bn in revenue.
Some 10,000 construction workers are preparing the 1 million sq m Ice and Snow World Park, the largest of the event’s three main venues. They are cutting the blocks of ice that will be turned into colossal buildings, ornamental bridges, slides and cartoon animals, among other things.
The festival will begin in January with a firework display, but visitors can view the exhibits from mid-December.
Some of the ice blocks that will be used are currently being transported to the site after being kept in cold storage for the past 10 months. Others are cut from the nearby Songhua River.
Story for GCR? Get in touch via email: [email protected]
