China’s Magical City of Ice

Source: Dateline Zero

“Sculptures” isn’t the best way to describe it. It’s actually a small city entirely built from ice. The structures are filled with modern amenities like elevators and escalators. And, as you can see in the pictures below, multicolored lights are installed inside the sculptures, making them look very beautiful in the dark, after sunset.

The annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival has been held since 1963. According to the current Wikipedia entry, it had been interrupted for a number of years during the Cultural Revolution until it was resumed in 1985 — so I can imagine that the event is all-the-more cherished.

A typical winter in Harbin, northern China, would see temperatures go as low as 2°F (that’s –19°C). Strong, cold winds blow in from Siberia, making almost everything freeze over. Unlike where I live, in the US, it looks like northern China
is not skipping winter.

(Note: Looks like winter might finally visit the United States by next weekend.)

The breathtaking works of art are astonishing. Walking through something like that must be like stepping into another world.

The 2012 festival began January 5, and it will remain open to visitors until the end of February. Organizers expect over one million tourists.

More at the full post at Dateline Zero