Freezing conditions heat up Harbin(1)
Harbin Ice and Snow World.
Plummeting temperatures did little to dampen the enthusiasm at the much-anticipated opening of the 26th Harbin Ice and Snow Festival Tuesday. The festival, known for its stunning ice sculptures, snow playfields and winter entertainment, is held annually in the capital city of Heilongjiang Province and draws millions of visitors to the area.
Last night, Harbin Ice and Snow World also marked its 11th anniversary with a gala performance attended by celebrities from both China and abroad. Several well-known US faces were at the event, including actor and TV personality John O'Hurley, singer Michael Bolton, actor Elizabeth Berkley and NBA stars Steffond Johnson and Jerry Reynolds. Chinese performers Alexander Wang and Elva Hsiao also attended the opening ceremony that was held at the Harbin International Exhibition and Sports Center.
This year's annual festival is promising to be the biggest yet. In addition to the regular inclusions, such as ice and snow sculptures, weddings on ice, skiing, ice painting and photography competitions, five themes are being featured – ice and snow arts, civilization, sports, business and travel – in a bid to cater to a broader audience. The travel bureau of Harbin predicts that 10 million visitors will enjoy the celebrations.
Ice and Snow World features 2,000 ice sculptures with 90 percent of them illuminated by LED lights. The sculptures are based on architecture from different periods in history and from different parts of the world, including the Old Palace of the Qin Dynasty (221-207BC), the Mayan Pyramids, the Coliseum of Rome, the Temple of Apollo, a variety of European castles and South East Asian Buddhist structures.
Ice and Snow World occupies 600,000 square meters and uses 160,000 cubic meters of ice. A brand-new movie dome was unveiled Tuesday and will screen classic films for the next two weeks.
