Ice-ay! Spectacular rainbow-coloured ice sculptures go on display at Chinese festival (but you'll have to be quick if you want to see them, they start melting in a few weeks!)
- Sculptures are part of the 31st Harbin International Ice and Snow festival
- The festival is held in Harbin, near the Russian border in northeast China
- 10,000 people employed to complete hundreds of ice sculptures at event
- Some of the pieces measure more than 26 metres tall and 117 metres wide
It's among the world’s most breathtaking tourist attractions.
But you’ll have to be quick if you want to visit this particular spectacle – it will all be gone in a matter of weeks.
These frozen wonders are part of a display at the 31st Harbin International Ice and Snow festival held in Harbin, near the Russian border in northeast China.
The 31st Harbin International Ice and Snow festival held in Harbin, near the Russian border in northeast China
The palaces and sculptures are made from hollow blocks of ice and illuminated using LED lights to create a multi-coloured skyline on the shores of the nearby Songhua river.
The festival features work by some of the country's best ice sculptors and attracts thousands of visitors from around the world who marvel at the wondrous creations, enjoy the fireworks over the City of Ice or appeal to their inner child as they take a ride on the ice-slides.
According to event organisers, 10,000 people were employed to complete the sculptures.
The festival features work by some of the country's best ice sculptors and attracts thousands of visitors from around the world
According to event organisers, 10,000 people were employed to complete hundreds of ice and snow sculptures at the event
The palaces and sculptures are made from hollow blocks of ice and lit up using LED lights creating a multicoloured glow-in-the-dark skyline
Some of the pieces measure more than 26 metres tall and 117 metres wide. Overall, the whole site is well over 600,000 sq metres.
All in all, about 180,000 sq metres of ice and 150,000 sq metres of snow have been used to complete all the works.
Workers spend weeks cutting large ice blocks for the festival from the frozen Songhua river, before dragging the 551lb blocks towards the site.
Some of the pieces measure more than 26 metres tall and 117 metres wide. Overall, the whole site is well over 600,000 sq metres
All in all, about 180,000 sq metres of ice and 150,000 sq metres of snow will be used to complete all the works
Workers spend weeks cutting large ice blocks for the festival from the frozen Songhua river before dragging the 551lb blocks towards the site
The theme of this year’s event is 'Happy Ice Snow, Exciting City'. The festival opened on January 5 and is due to close on 28 February 2015.
It required over 7,000 artists and workers to create the winter wonderland.
Over 2012 and 2013 the temporary man-made ice spectacle drew a combined 28.5 million visitors.
Over 2012 and 2013 the temporary man-made ice spectacle drew a combined 28.5 million visitors
Harbin is called 'Ice City' and though winters are bitterly cold, conditions are perfect for the festival.
Tourists can also take part in skiing, figure skating and theatre performances at the festival, while there is also an ice bar on site.
Harbin's festival is one of world's four largest international ice festivals, along with Japan's Sapporo Snow Festival, Canada's Quebec Winter Carnival, and Norway's Ski Festival.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2905288/Ice-ay-Spectacular-rainbow-coloured-ice-sculptures-display-Chinese-festival-ll-quick-want-start-melting-weeks.html#ixzz3PsNu23yC
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