Harbin in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province is staging an ice sculpture exhibition during the hot summer to offer visitors a unique cross-seasonal experience.
In recent days, the average afternoon temperature in Harbin, the province's capital, has been around 31 degrees Celsius. However, inside the ice pavilion, sculptors are wearing down jackets to create a winter wonderland for visitors.
Located within Harbin Ice-Snow World, the pavilion spans a total area of 23,000 square meters and features thousands of ice sculptures.
The facility, completed in July 2024, began its upgrades on Jan 30 this year and promises a unique ice-and-snow tourism experience for visitors all year round.
Hou Weidong is one of the ice sculptors who participated in the whole upgrade process.
"We used natural ice from the Songhua River. When the outdoor ice-snow world was closed in February, this venue opened at the same time. More than 2,000 people were mobilized to build the venue, and 200 people were dedicated to ice sculpting," said Hou.
Hou said ice sculptors also regularly update some of the ice sculptures in the venue and repair the missing or damaged ones.
"Now, we are making some ice-sculpted domestic landmarks, such as the Ruins of St. Paul's in Macao and the Chinese character of 'Shenzhen', and they will be added to the exhibition area one after another," he said.
Large-scale ice sculpture projects often require teams to work around the clock. The completed work can only last for a few months, as ice will slowly sublime even in a constant temperature environment, which makes each piece even more precious, according to Hou.
Many of the ice sculptors are students of Harbin Normal University. They learn ice carving techniques from experienced workers and hope to showcase the local characteristics to more visitors.
"I hope to inherit and develop the ice and snow culture of my hometown, and allow more tourists to better experience our ice and snow culture," said Zhang Xu, a graduate student of sculpture at Harbin Normal University.
Northeast China's Harbin City stages ice sculpture exhibition in summer
