World Famous Ice Festival Destination

By china tour on 2009-6-18 12:01:00 | China Travel Review

The world famous Ice Festival Destination are Harbin in China,Hokkaido in Japan , Kiruna in Sweden . Since 1985, in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China an amazing festival is held annually. Known as Harbin Snow and Ice Festival, Harbin ice sculpture attracts lots of tourists around the world. it is China’s original and greatest ice artwork festival, and one of the largest of its kind in the world. Every year from January to February, hundreds of thousands of local people and visitors from all over the world fight with sub-zero temperatures to admire the impressive and artistic ice and snow sculptures, carvings, from simple statues to world famous monuments like some grand cathedrals, pyramids, Thai temples and even the Great Wall. Alongside the ice sculpture many activities can be practiced at the festival: skating, skiing, tobogganing, ice sailing, ice hockey,climbing the Great Wall of solid ice, or even winter swimming in the Songhua River.
Heilongjiang province, is recognized as home town of the ice and snow culture in the world and is famous for its exquisite sculptures. Geographically, it is under the direct influence of the cold winter wind from Siberia. The average temperature in summer is 21.2 degrees Celsius, -16.8 degrees Celsius in winter. It can be as cold as - 38.1 degrees Celsius in winter. The annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival started since 1963. Its roots lie in the simple ice lanterns used by the peasants and fishermen of northeast China during the cold winter months. It had been interrupted for a number of years during the Cultural Revolution until it was resumed in 1985. This is China's greatest ice artwork festival and attracts hundreds of thousands visitors from home and abroad. Today the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival has become 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.

Every year, ice for the festival comes from Songhuajiang River, the river nearby which freezes meters thick during the winter time. Blocks of snow and ice are sculpted into actual life-size shapes of subjects ranging from animals, high buildings to the bridges, ice slides, etc. You also have chance to see some world’s greatest industrial icons being replicated here like the Eiffel Tower in France and the Great Wall of China, etc. The ice or snow transforms the city into a gleaming place of whiteness and crystallized sceneries. In the evening these sculptures come alive in a dazzling display of light and color from the thousands of tiny lights lying hidden inside. During the day the festival site offers ice-skating, sliding and skiing, etc. Amongst the winter activities, one of the fun activities on the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival is the wall climbing. Climbing high sculptures and wall made out of ice is an interesting activity, which many tourists enjoy. There are some famous sites for the exhibition of the ice artworks in Harbin, including Zhaolin Park, Harbin Ice and Snow World, The sun Island Scenic area, etc. Also, throughout the city streets small ice sculptures and carvings can be found for some extra photo opportunities.
Harbin Ice Festival will be held from 5 January 2009 through 5 February 2009. Harbin Ice and Snow World will run until February 12 this year. It is located approximately 10 minutes from the city centre, on the opposite side of the Songhuajiang River. Entrance fee is approximately RMB 80. For more inforamtion of Harbin Travel.

Harbin Ice Festival will be held from 5 January 2009 through 5 February 2009. Harbin Ice and Snow World will run until February 12 this year. It is located approximately 10 minutes from the city centre, on the opposite side of the Songhuajiang River. Entrance fee is approximately RMB 80. For more inforamtion of Harbin Travel.