Harbin Ice Festival officially opens.

Lễ hội băng tại Cáp Nhĩ Tân chính thức khai mạc

Workers extract ice from the famous Songhua Glacier. (Source: THX)

Wearing their distinctive red padded jackets, the workers use metal chisels to tap the ice until large, transparent blocks of ice are separated from the river. Then, they use iron hooks to pull the ice blocks ashore. In the sunlight, the ice blocks sparkle like silver.

The ice blocks, typically around 1.6 meters long and 0.8 meters wide, are renowned for their clarity and firmness. They are loaded onto trucks and transported throughout Harbin to be carved into ice slides, castles, and other structures for the festival.

Over the next month, nearly 1,000 workers will be working continuously to extract and process approximately 10,000 cubic meters of ice per day.

Tourists pose for photos at the ice harvesting festival in Harbin city, Heilongjiang province, northeastern China, on December 7. (Source: THX)

This year's ice harvesting festival also coincides with the "Great Snow" solar term in the traditional Chinese calendar, signaling the true start of a cold winter. According to meteorological experts, after this solar term, the ice on the river is usually thicker than 30cm, making it ideal for harvesting.

The newly extracted ice blocks will form the core of Harbin Ice and Snow World – the world's largest ice park, showcasing ice sculptures, ice castles, ice slides, a giant Ferris wheel, nighttime shows, and many other exciting ice-based activities. This year, the park will expand to a record-breaking 1.2 million square meters, utilizing approximately 400,000 cubic meters of ice and snow.

Tourists pose for photos with a giant snowman. (Source: Xinhua News Agency)

In recent years, Harbin has taken advantage of its long winter season to boost tourism . In the winter of 2024, the city welcomed over 90 million visitors, with total tourism revenue exceeding 137 billion RMB, a more than 16% increase compared to the previous year.

It can be said that, thanks to the boom in snow and ice tourism, Northeast China, including Heilongjiang province, is gradually regaining its vitality after years of economic hardship and labor shortages.

According to the city government, this winter Harbin will combine this type of tourism with experiential education, sports, and technology to build a high-quality winter tourism system, aiming to become a leading winter tourism destination.

According to China's plan, the ice-and-snow economy will be developed into a new key industry, aiming to reach a scale of 1.2 trillion RMB by 2027 and 1.5 trillion RMB by 2030.

In 2024 alone, Heilongjiang province's ice and snow economy reached over 266 billion RMB, with ice and snow tourism contributing more than 182 billion RMB.

Workers are sculpting a giant ice sculpture depicting the zodiac animal of 2026. The photo was taken on December 5th. (Source: CGTN)

Notably, in 2026, the city erected a giant ice sculpture called "The Fairy Tale Horse Family" at the entrance to Harbin Ice and Snow World.

The statue, over 10 meters tall and inspired by the zodiac animal of the coming year – the Year of the Horse – is made from approximately 5,000 cubic meters of snow. The horses will be decorated with large saddles and shawls printed with good luck wishes for visitors. During the Lunar New Year, the statue will even be given a new "outfit" to liven up the festive atmosphere.

Here are some other photos from the festival.