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Summary
Teams of sculptors gathered in Harbin, the regional capital of China's frozen northern Heilongjiang province, to make the most of what the city does best - ice.Nineteen teams of artists from seven countries are given three days to chop, saw, scrape and polish a masterpiece out of a block of ice during an ice sculpture competition, which coincides with the city's annual International Ice and Snow Festival. Apart from Chinese competitors, this year's event has attracted teams from countries more used to ice and snow like Russia and Mongolia, as well as those such as Thailand, where locals are unlikely to see a flake all year round. Each team is given a block around two meters tall, two meters wide, 50 centimetres thick, and weighing about two tons, cut from the surface of the frozen Songhua River which runs past Harbin.The ice of the Songhua is said by locals to be particularly translucent, as it freezes slowly each winter with the river continuing to flow beneath and polish it. U.S.-based sculptor Tatyana Schremko Schriempf, in the early stages of a huge ice squirrel, said ice made great sculpting material.I think in some ways you allow yourself liberties because you know it's going to melt so you learn different skills. And also it's just incredibly beautiful. You see light through it. But then I also do snow and that's kind of nice too, she said. The sculpture competition, which organisers say is now in its 24th year, started on Wednesday and will be judged on Friday evening. The winning team will receive 5,000 yuan (around 732 US dollars), and will be admired by tourists that flock to the Zhaolin Park in the city centre where the competition is held. Danish sculptor Soren Lyngbye was enjoying the novelty of being on display.I like because it's show-like - you're on the scene, you're on the stage, people can watch you. Normally when I'm in my studio, I can hide myself and in the end I show my final result, some kind of masterpiece. But here, I'm on the tribunal, people they can execute me. They can ask me all kinds of questions: 'What's the meaning of it?', he said.Harbin's Ice and Snow Festival, which kicked off on Tuesday and is now in its 26th year, draws several million tourists from across the country and internationally each year, according to organisers. The city uses an estimated 120,000 cubic meters of snow and 160,000 cubic meters of ice for the festival.While global warming has been making headlines internationally, Harbin is enjoying one of its coldest winters in years, with recent temperatures dipping below -30 degrees Celsius. Thursday's warmest temperature was expected to be a more comfortable -14.But Harbin retiree Sheng Yadong said the people of the city never got tired of the benefits brought about by cold weather.Especially us Harbin people, adults, children and old people all love ice and snow. And we're not scared of cold or work. For me, I really appreciate working with this kind of ice. It's a pleasure, and it's the best form of exercise, he said. The city comes alive for the annual festival for which it is renowned within China.As well as ice sculpting competitions, visitors can gawp at enormous ice buildings and towering snow sculptures. Also on offer are ice skating, ice cycling, ice swimming in a hole in the river's surface, mass ice weddings, and just about anything else imaginable involving either ice or snow.
