Ice and snow festival in China brings winter wonderland to life
While much of the U.S. prepares for potentially record-breaking cold temperatures this week, the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival has visitors flocking to northeast China to, uh, chill out. The event kicked off Sunday with an ice swimming competition, but the festival really heats up (we know, we know) at night when guests stroll past giant ice sculptures illuminated in a winter village.
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- Visitors gather at the Ice and Snow World after the official opening of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province on January 5, 2014. Thousands of visitors braved temperatures of -27 degrees Celsius (-17 degrees Fahrenheit) to visit the Ice and Snow World, which features the theme “Global Ice and Snow Dream, World Cartoon Tour”. (Goh Chai Hin/AFP/Getty Images)
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- A couple shares an embrace in front of an ice sculpture at the Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in the northern city of Harbin, China, January 5, 2014. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)
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- Visitors gather at Ice and Snow World after the official opening of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province on January 5, 2014. (Goh Chai Hin/AFP/Getty Images)
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- A woman stands in front of an ice sculpture at the Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China on January 5, 2014. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)
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- Visitors are silhouetted against lighted ice sculptures at the Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in the northern city of Harbin, China. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)
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- Ice sculpture are illuminated at the Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China, January 5, 2014. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)
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- Tourists visit the ice buildings on display at the Ice and Snow World during the Harbin International Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival on January 5, 2014 in Harbin, China. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
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- Visitors gather at Ice and Snow World at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province on January 5, 2014. Visitors braved temperatures of about -17 degrees Fahrenheit to explore the Ice and Snow World. (Goh Chai Hin/AFP/Getty Images)
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- Visitors walk past lighted ice sculptures at the Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China on January 5, 2014. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)
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- Tourists visit the ice buildings on display at the Ice and Snow World during the Harbin International Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival on January 5, 2014 in Harbin, China. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
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- A visitor sits inside an ice sculpture at the Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China, on January 5, 2014. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)
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- A worker breaks ice on a pool carved into the thick ice covering the Songhua River in the early morning as he prepares the Harbin Ice Swimming Competition in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China on January 5, 2014. According to organizers, about 700 swimmers across China took part in the event on the official launch day of the Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)
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- A worker breaks ice on a pool carved into the thick ice covering the Songhua River in the early morning as he prepares the Harbin Ice Swimming Competition in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China on January 5, 2014. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)
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- Swimmers climb out of a pool during the Harbin Ice Swimming Competition in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China on January 5, 2014. Organizers said about 700 swimmers across China took part in the event. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)
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- A swimmer stands on a platform on a pool carved into the thick ice covering the Songhua River during the Harbin Ice Swimming Competition in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China on January 5, 2014. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)
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- A man swims in a pool carved into thick ice during the Harbin Ice Swimming Competition in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China on January 5, 2014. The event took place on the official launch day of the Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)
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- A swimmer reacts after swimming in a pool carved into thick ice covering the Songhua River during the Harbin Ice Swimming Competition in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China on January 5, 2014. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)
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The Harbin Ice Festival Is A Compilation Of Everything We Love About China | Wellness TravelWellness Travel
Jan 07, 2014 @ 14:55:00
[…] year, the theme for the Festival is “Global Ice and Snow Dream, World Cartoon Tour.” This may explain why the walkable wonderland is home to re-constructions of the Colosseum, […]
Harbin Ice Festival
Jan 06, 2014 @ 01:00:28
Amazing slide. Thank you for sharing your photos!