Harbin Festival 2009

Activities annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival has been held since 1963. Interrupted for several years during Cultural Revolution and again resumed since 1985.
Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, is one of the sources of ice and snow, and the culture in the world. Geographically, it is located in Northeast China under the direct influence of the winter winds from Siberia. The average temperature in summer is 21.2 degrees Celsius in the winter and -16.8 degrees Celsius, in extreme circumstances to reach minus 38.1 degrees Celsius.

Officially, the festival starts from January 5th and lasts one month. But often take longer if the weather allows. Ice sculpture decorated with laser technology to traditional lantern. Activities during the winter, including in activities such as this festival Yabuli alpine skiing, surfing dikolam ice Songhua River, and the ice-lantern exhibition in Zhaolin Garden. Carving snow and ice and snow that recreation is very popular worldwide.

eople can see the giant ice sculpture in the Ice and Snow World Park in Harbin, Heilongjiang province 5 Jan 2009. More than 50 million yuan and 100,000 cubic meters of ice needed for the making of ice sculptures in the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival to-25 that started Sunday. Weather at the time this fall -35 C. [Xinhua]

A fireworks rocket into the air dilokasi Ice and Snow World Park in Harbin, [Xinhua]

Festival, which started 5 Jan 2009, is able to invite 10-thousands of tourists. [Xinhua]

A scene from the giant ice sculpture. [Xinhua]

The visitors who came to the exhibition, 5 Jan 2009. (Xinhua / Wang Jianwei)

Recreational ice, (Xinhua / Wang Jianwei)

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A visitor attention to ice sculptures, (Xinhua / Wang Jianwei)

The visitors, 5 Jan 2009. (Xinhua / Wang Jianwei)

Harbin festival is one of the world's fourth largest, among others: Japan 's Sapporo Snow Festival, Canada' s Quebec City Winter Carnival, and Norway 's Ski Festivales.