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Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival



Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival

The Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival (Chinese: 哈尔滨国际冰雪节; pinyin: Hā'ěrbīn Guójì Bīngxuě Jié) is an annual winter festival that takes place with a theme in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China, and now is the largest ice and snow festival in the world.


At first participants in the festival were mainly Chinese, however it has since become an international festival and competition. The festival includes the world's biggest ice sculptures.

Officially, the festival starts on January 5 and lasts one month. However, exhibits often open earlier and stay longer, weather permitting. While ice sculptures are erected throughout the city, there are two main exhibition areas:

Sun Island is a recreational area on the opposite side of the Songhua River from the city, which features an expo of enormous snow sculptures.
Ice and Snow World is an area open at night which features illuminated full size buildings made from blocks of 2–3' thick ice taken directly from the Songhua River.

 At first China celebrated it then Harbin took over.
During the festival, there are ice lantern park touring activities held in many parks in the city.

Winter activities during the festival include Yabuli alpine skiing, winter-swimming in the Songhua River, and the ice-lantern exhibition in Zhaolin Garden.

Harbin is located in Northeast China and receives cold winter wind from Siberia.

The average temperature in summer is 21.2 °C (70.2 °F), and –16.8 °C (1.8 °F) in winter. Annual lows of -35 °C (–31 °F) are not uncommon











History

The festival originated in Harbin's traditional ice lantern show and garden party that takes place in winter, which began in 1963. It was interrupted for a number of years during the Cultural Revolution, but has since been resumed when an annual event at Zhaolin Park was announced on January 5, 1985.

In 2001, the Harbin Ice Festival was merged with Heilongjiang's International Ski Festival and got its new formal name, the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival.

In 2007, the festival featured a Canadian themed sculpture, in memoriam of Canadian doctor Norman Bethune. It was awarded a Guinness Record for the world's largest snow sculpture: 250 metres long, 28 feet (8.5 m) high, using over 13,000 cubic metres of snow.

The composition consisted of two parts: the "Niagara Falls" and the "crossing the Bering Strait" (the latter depicting the migration of the First Nations).

In 2014, the festival celebrated its 30th anniversary with the theme "50-Year Ice Snow, Charming Harbin". Various fairs, competitions and expos were held from 20 December 2013 to February 2014.

In 2015, the 31st Harbin Ice Snow Festival opened on Jan. 5 and was themed "Ice Snow Harbin, Charming China Dream" with opening ceremony, firework show, ice lanterns, snow sculpture competitions and expos, as well as winter swimming, winter fishing, group wedding ceremony, fashion shows, concerts, ice sport games lasting from 22 December 2014 to early March 2015.

Construction

Swing saws are used to carve ice into blocks, taken from the frozen surface of the Songhua River.

Chisels, ice picks and various types of saws are then used by ice sculptors to carve out large scaled ice sculptures  many of them intricately designed and worked on all day and night prior to the commencement of the festival.

Deionised water can also be used, producing ice blocks as transparent as glass to make clear sculptures rather than translucent ones.
Multicoloured lights  are also used to give colour to ice, creating variations on sculptured spectacles when lit up especially at night. Some ice sculptures made in previous years include: buildings and monuments of different architectural types and styles, figures including animals people and mythical creatures, slippery dips or ice slides and lanterns.


 Apart from winter recreational activities available in Harbin, these exquisitely detailed, mass-produced ice sculptures are the main draw card in attracting tourists around the world to the festival.


Harbin Ice Festival 2016 Dates
The official opening date of the 32nd Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival (or shortly Harbin Ice Festival 2016) will be in the evening of January 5, 2016.

Organized by China National Tourism Administration, Heilingjiang Provincial Government and Harbin Municipal Government, the event will last to the end of February, 2016.

It will only have opening ceremony and have no closing ceremony. The opening ceremony will take place in Harbin International Exhibition Center & City Stadium as usual. In the evening, a big firework display will come after a meeting. Some major activities will be on the Harbin Ice Festival 2016:

 Ice & Snow Tourism Activities

During the Harbin Ice Festival 2016, the organizers, will hold the 17th Harbin Ice and Snow World, the 28th Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo, the 42nd Ice Lantern Fair, and the 6th Harbin Songhua River Ice and Snow Happy Valley.

The Changling Lake will hold fishing festival, some wetlands will hold fishing activities. Some counties and districts will organize some ice and snow celebrations.


Ice and Snow Sculpture Competitions, Culture Activities

Many ice and snow sculpture competitions, and culture activities will be held in the city, including national snow sculpture competition, Heilongjiang province snow sculpture competition,

Heilongjiang province college student snow sculpture competition, international snow sculpture competition, international college student snow sculpture competition, international ice sculpture competition, ice sculpture competition, mass ice and snow sculpture competition,  primary and middle school student ice and snow sculpture competition, ice and snow sculpture art design competition, New Year Concert, painting and calligraphy exhibition, and so on.

Home » Useful Information » Harbin Facts » Harbin Ice Festival 2016 Dates
Harbin Ice Festival 2016 Dates
The official opening date of the 32nd Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival (or shortly Harbin Ice Festival 2016) will be in the evening of January 5, 2016. Organized by China National Tourism Administration, Heilingjiang Provincial Government and Harbin Municipal Government, the event will last to the end of February, 2016.

It will only have opening ceremony and have no closing ceremony. The opening ceremony will take place in Harbin International Exhibition Center & City Stadium as usual. In the evening, a big firework display will come after a meeting. Some major activities will be on the Harbin Ice Festival 2016:

Ice & Snow Tourism Activities

During the Harbin Ice Festival 2016, the organizers, will hold the 17th Harbin Ice and Snow World, the 28th Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo, the 42nd Ice Lantern Fair, and the 6th Harbin Songhua River Ice and Snow Happy Valley.

The Changling Lake will hold fishing festival, some wetlands will hold fishing activities. Some counties and districts will organize some ice and snow celebrations.

Harbin Ice Festival 2016

Ice and Snow Sculpture Competitions, Culture Activities

Many ice and snow sculpture competitions, and culture activities will be held in the city, including national snow sculpture competition,

Heilongjiang province snow sculpture competition, Heilongjiang province college student snow sculpture competition, international snow sculpture competition, international college student snow sculpture competition, international ice sculpture competition, ice sculpture competition, mass ice and snow sculpture competition,  primary and middle school student ice and snow sculpture competition, ice and snow sculpture art design competition, New Year Concert, painting and calligraphy exhibition, and so on.

Harbin Ice Festival 2016

Ice and Snow Fashion Acitivities

Some ice and snow fashion activities will be going on, such as Venus international ice and snow collective wedding ceremony, the the selective trials of the urban princess, singing and dancing shows, performances on ice, Heilongjiang pop music annual awards ceremony.



Ice and Snow Economic & Trade Activities

Some  ice and snow economic & trade activities will take place, including the cold zone expo 2016, the 16th Chinese entrepreneur Forum, the Harbin international ice and snow engagement, etc..

Ice and Snow Sports Activities

Many ice and snow sports activities will be run, including  ice hockey tournament, national ice hockey tournament, national young man ice hockey tournament, national alpine skiing championships, national curling stone championships, international winter swimming tournaments, 2016 Harbin teenagers do ice and snow activities, all Harbin citizens do ice and snow activities, Harbin city family ice fun games, and so forth.

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