Ice And Snow World Guide

The Harbin Ice and Snow festival is one of the world's four largest ice and snow festivals, along with Japan's Sapporo Snow Festival, Canada's Quebec City Winter Carnival, and Norway's Ski Festival. It was launched by the government in 1999, along with Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival every winter. It is commonly referred to as possessing four of the key 'mosts': the most art attractions, the most beautiful night views, the most recreational activities and the most forms of entertainment. Moreover, the festival is constantly evolving and each year brings with it a new theme, providing visitors with a totally unique experience from one year to the next.

The ice carvings of the Harbin Ice and Snow World are regarded as some of the world's finest ice art, and the visitors are able to see some of the largest and most majestic ice-sculpted masterpieces. People can find the reproductions of some full size buildings which are made of ice. Each of these ice carvings are designed in some way related to the festival's theme, enabling travelers to sample a variety of cultural flavors.
One of the highlights for any visitor to the festival is to visit the site at night when multicolored lights set underground illuminate the sculptures, revealing a whole new colorful dimension to the exhibits. The contrasts of the bright and dazzling lights against the dark night sky make the works look all the more spectacular. The best collections of ice artworks are exhibited in the following five main places: The Sun Island Scenic Area, Harbin Ice and Snow World, Yabuli International Ski Resort, The Ice Lantern Garden Party and Zhaolin Park.

The Ice and Snow World is also a centre for various forms of recreation and entertainment, with a variety of opportunities on offer. Visitors will be amazed by the magnificent ice buildings, including an ice maze, ice bar, and even an ice hotel. If you are a fan of snow sports, then there is also the chance to participate in activities such as ice rock-climbing, skating, skiing, sliding, snow fights, ice golf, and ice archery. In addition to all this, special performances based on the festival theme are put on throughout the event which will no doubt greatly entertain those in search of something a little less physically-demanding.
The Harbin Ice and Snow Festival is held either in late December or in early January, and for those who dream of a proper winter experience, this place is the place to make those dreams become a reality.

• The big church
• Northeast Tiger Zoo
• The main street
• Sino-Russia border trade market
• The Sun Island
• Songhua River
• Yabuli International Ski Resort
• Erlongshan International Ski Resort
• Heilongjiang Provincial Museum
• Ice And Snow World