Harbin Snow Ice festival (Part 1)

The temperatures in Harbin are often enough to minus 40?C and remain over a half year under the freezing point. This city is appropriate for approx. 450 km in Chinese Manchuria, northwest from Wladiwostok in Siberia. Here one can converse in the winter best by a “open air festival”!

The inhabitants of Harbin a match with snow and ice sculptures organize each year. It is a competition around the most beautiful buildings.

Delivery of the building material - Snow and Ice...


Art, special customer and patience... A proof of the architecture

The building of snow and ice sculptures has its origin already in the Mandschu time, the first exhibition was only 1963. The annual festival dates however starting from 1985. Since then the festival grew to a mass Event, to which millions tourists come from all over the world. Thus the sculptures became more beautiful and more artistic each year; this bear is a small part 50 meters is enough for wall sculpture.

Each part realized by individual competitors. Each team receives a Snowblock of 3 x 3 m, from which it makes its figures. These teams come from all sides: Russia, Japan, Canada, France and even of South Africa.

Here one sees a sunset behind the entrance sculpture. The Festival area goes up to the open area north the river into Harbin: Songhua Jiang.

I was surprised at a sculpture of a Indian native of North America and in the northeast of China. The figure was built by a Canadian team.

Another head sculpture...

A head sculpture o the Buddha.

The sculpture of the Laughing Buddha surrounding by the little Buddhas.

A sculpture o a little boy playing with his toy.

A huge sculpturing is taken place by the participants.

The sculpture of dinosaurs and pre-history animal.

A replica of the Mayan Temple of Chichen Itza in Mexico. Constructed and sculpted from over 80 individual blocks of frosted ice, also incorporating clear ice for the steps.

A row of sculpture welcoming the visitors at the festival.

Snow covering the bridge at the festival location in the evening...



The evening brought still more beautiful, now could the “actual” Ice festival begin...

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