Preparations for the 38th Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo are entering their final construction stage in Harbin, the capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, with 70 percent of the work completed.
Covering an area of 1.5 million square meters, this year's expo will feature more than 260 snow sculptures.
All sculptures are expected to be completed by late December.
At the entrance of the expo stands "Mr. Snowman," an iconic snow sculpture towering 23.8 meters high and crafted from 5,000 cubic meters of snow. Inside the park, visitors are welcomed by two charming panda snow sculptures representing Zhi Shi and Zhi Ma, the pair of giant pandas that made Sun Island their home in August this year.
With the upcoming lunar year being the Year of the Horse, horses have become especially popular at this year's expo.
Another unique feature of this year's expo is the broadcasting studio of China Media Group (CMG). This marks the second consecutive year that CMG has established a studio at the expo.
In about a week, the expo will officially open its doors to visitors, offering an experience of the romance and joy of winter in this stunning frozen wonderland.
Preparation for 38th int’l snow sculpture art expo enters final stage in Harbin
About 400 cultural relics from two Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) shipwrecks are on display at the Grand Canal Museum in Beijing for the first time.
Loaned from South China Sea Museum in south China's Hainan Province, the 370 pieces are from shipwrecks on the northwest slope of the South China Sea. The first ship's artifacts are mainly ceramics, while the second's include logs, snail shells and antlers.
Xin Lixue, director of the China (Hainan) Museum of the South China Sea, said this is the first time these cultural relics have been displayed outside the South China Sea Museum.
"I'm also very excited that these cultural relics can be displayed in the capital, Beijing. I think this is to present to everyone the best things we have salvaged so far, so they can fully understand the splendid culture of our ancient Maritime Silk Road. Today's people can also expand international exchanges and jointly promote the development of all our ethnic groups," said Xin.
Dating back approximately 500 years, these merchant ships sank to a depth of about 1,500 meters during a voyage along the Maritime Silk Road. This marks the first discovery of merchant vessels from the early sixteenth century that had set sail and were returning.
In addition to the abundant relics, the exhibition uses dynamic lighting and sound to recreate a virtual underwater world, showcasing the deep-sea environment and the advanced technology behind deep-sea archaeology.
The exhibition will run through March 15 next year.
Deep-sea archaeological exhibition in Beijing displays relics recovered from shipwreck
