Ice and snow attractions across Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, are captivating locals and tourists alike as the city turns its frosty landscapes into a wonderland for winter activities.
Senior citizens make up a healthy proportion of the ice skating enthusiasts recently spotted on a local ice rink.
"When it snows, we feel as if it was our call to the rink. I learned to skate when I was a child, and after retiring, I've picked it up again to add more fun to my life," said skater Chang Chuanming.
"As you can see now, it's mostly elderly people skating on the ice. This has been a hobby for us since childhood," resident Ge Zhanjie said.
Meanwhile, a snow art expo is about to kick off in the city's Sun Island scenic area, with construction of iconic ice and snow sculptures in full swing.
In the past two days, a 20-meter tall snowman has been completed, attracting numerous visitors who come to take photos and enjoy the artistry of the sculptures.
"We were actually supposed to leave the city today, but we saw online that the big snowman was finished. Since it's the last day of our trip, we had to come to this place. It's so beautiful and adorable," said a tourist.
The Nearby Yabuli Ski Resort has upgraded its skiing facilities as the region prepares to host the 9th Asian Winter Games scheduled to be held in February 2025 and the resort kicked off its winter ski season on Thursday with the 22nd Yabuli Ski Festival.
Currently, the entire resort has four ski areas open to visitors, with preliminary statistics showing a daily visitor flow of over 6,000 skiers.
With the upcoming Winter Asian Games, it is expected that the area will experience another surge in visitor numbers this winter.
Winter sports fire up people's lives in China's icy north
