- Title: Chinese city of Harbin gears up for annual ice festival
- Date: 4th January 2017
- Summary: HARBIN, HEILONGJIANG PROVINCE, CHINA (JANUARY 4, 2017) (REUTERS) PEOPLE IN SANTA CLAUSE COSTUMES ARRIVING WITH REINDEER-PULLED SLED AT ICE FESTIVAL VENUE TOURISTS WALKING IN FRONT OF STEPS LEADING TO ICE SCULPTURE / TITLE ON SCULPTURE READING (Chinese): "ICE WORLD" TOURISTS WALKING AROUND ICE SCULPTURES ICE SCULPTURES MAN CARVING ICE SCULPTURE VARIOUS OF MAN CARVING ICE SCULPTURE OF HENRY VIII VARIOUS OF MAN CARVING ICE SCULPTURE OF LEANING TOWER OF PISA MAN CARVING ICE SCULPTURE ARTISTS CARVING ICE SCULPTURES VARIOUS OF TOURIST FROM GUANGXI ZHUANG AUTONOMOUS REGION, QING WENYU, AND FRIEND WALKING UP ICE SCULPTURE STAIRS QING AND FRIEND SITTING AT TOP OF ICE SLIDE QING AND FRIEND SLIDING DOWN ICE SLIDE (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) TOURIST FROM GUANGXI ZHUANG AUTONOMOUS REGION, QING WENYU, SAYING: "When I was in primary school, I read about how it snows in the northern part of our country from a textbook, so this has really attracted me to this place for some 10 years or so. So I thought, I still have time to come here before I graduate and enjoy the scenery of our northern region and the art and sculptures of the Ice Festival. Coming here, I feel this is completely different from the south." VARIOUS OF CHILDREN PLAYING WITH ICE SHARDS (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 31-YEAR-OLD TOURIST FROM FUJIAN PROVINCE, VISITOR ZHANG YANYAN, SAYING: "In the past I had seen photos of (the Ice Festival) and heard about it at a bunch of tourism forums. I saw a lot of photos of colourful lights from the ice sculptures, and the light, when viewed through the ice, looks especially beautiful. When I see it during the day, it also looks very special. There are different types of ice put together, some of which are transparent, some of which are of darker colours. I think they're all beautiful. I really like it here." ICE FESTIVAL VENUE VARIOUS OF ICE CASTLE SCULPTURE ICE FESTIVAL VENUE
- Embargoed: 19th January 2017 09:52
- Keywords: artists art ice Harbin China annual ice festival ice festival festival winter
- Location: HARBIN CITY, HEILONGJIANG PROVINCE, CHINA
- City: HARBIN CITY, HEILONGJIANG PROVINCE, CHINA
- Country: China
- Topics: Human Interest/Brights/Odd News,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0015XO05LL
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The northern Chinese city of Harbin geared up for its 33rd annual International Ice Festival on Wednesday (January 4), a day before the official opening of the event.
Artists gathered at the venue to apply the final touches to their ice sculptures, some of which resembled famous historical figures and landmarks such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The city began work on the carvings, many of which are the size of two- to three-storey buildings, in mid-December, the festival's official website said. Sculptures are mostly built using ice from a nearby river.
Some tourists had already arrived by Wednesday, including Qing Wenyu, from the southern Guangxi region, who said she had read about the snow in the north when she was in primary school.
"I thought, I still have time to come here before I graduate and enjoy the scenery of our northern region and the art and sculptures of the Ice Festival," she said after sliding down one of the venue's ice slides.
Another tourist from the south said she had been inspired to come after seeing photos of the colourful lights and ice sculptures during the night.
"When I see it during the day, it also looks very special. There are different types of ice put together, some of which are transparent, some of which are of darker colours. I think they're all beautiful," she said.
The festival begins on Thursday (January 5) and lasts until February 25, festival organisers said.
Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province on the edge of Siberia, is one of China's coldest places. Winter temperatures can drop to below minus 35 degrees Celsius. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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