This winter, tens of thousands of travelers have been mesmerized by the grand ice structures in Harbin Ice-Snow World. As night falls, the park transforms into a magical landscape, illuminated by a dazzling array of lights that bring its ice structures to life. ❄️✨
Located in the \\"ice city\\" of Harbin, the snowy capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang province, the park blends ice, snow, sound, and lights in a captivating display. Celebrating its 25th year of consecutive festivities, this year's edition has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's largest ice and snow theme park. 🏆🌟
Where does the ice come from?
This year's festival featured a total of 250,000 cubic meters of ice and snow. These crystal palaces and intricate sculptures were crafted from ice blocks harvested from the nearby frozen Songhua River. ❄️🏰
The Songhua River's stable water flow and clear quality allow it to form ice with uniform density and a crystal-clear appearance, perfect for constructing stunning ice landscapes. Each December, as the ice on the Songhua River reaches a thickness of approximately 0.3 to 0.4 meters, a month-long ice harvesting process begins. Daily, around 10,000 cubic meters of ice are collected from the river. ❄️🚜
The ice-picking team starts by marking the ice line, stretching a line across the ice layer to gauge distances. Using a motorized ice saw, they make initial cuts, slicing the expansive ice layer into smaller squares and creating a checkerboard-like ice surface. According to the construction requirements of Harbin Ice-Snow World, each ice block measures approximately 1.6 meters in length, 0.8 meters in width, and weighs around 700 kilograms. 🛠️📏
