The Amazing Snow And Ice Festival In Harbin You Need To See
Pool Jumping in Zub Zero Temperatures … No Thanks!
It was ten degrees below zero at the ice festival in Harbin and the men, clad only in swim underwear, were jumping into a pool that appeared to have been carved out of the frozen Songhua River. They swam all the way to the other end, pulled themselves out, and slid their feet into some slip-on shoes. I shook my head in disbelief, grateful for my three layers of cold-weather gear and thick thermal gloves.
It seems crazy, but this happens once a year in the Russian influenced city of Harbin, in China’s beautiful northeast. You see, this is all part of the festivities of the annual International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival.
It’s not uncommon for temperatures to go even lower here. In fact, the mercury went twenty-five degrees below zero on one of the nights we visited, rendering my much-loved DSLR camera completely useless. Of course, we headed indoors on this particular night and enjoyed watching the snowflakes sprinkle lightly on the window sill of our heated hotel room.
Image via Flickr by Rincewind42
Plan Your Visit to The Ice Festival in Harbin For January
The annual ice festival in Harbin is held annually from early January, with festivities beginning as early as late December. The exact closing date changes every year due to the weather being unpredictable, but you can expect to still see sculptures for the majority of February.
Whilst there is quite a lot to occupy visitors to Harbin, I came here specifically for this festival. When I heard of it’s existence, I just had to make sure I saw this spectacle in person!
Ice blocks are taken from the frozen surface of the Songhua River and are sculpted into gigantic ice sculptures, many of them are intricate. Transparent ice blocks are also created and the use of multicoloured lights brings the whole stunning visual effect together.
Image via Flickr by Brian Jeffery Beggerly
There are sculptures located all over the city. For the most spectacular, head to Harbin Ice and Snow World, Zhaolin Park and Sun Island Park.
I looked down through the clear window of the cable car at the frozen river below me. The Songhua River whilst flowing in summer, right now is a winter playground. There are two horses hitched to carts below me and I couldn’t help but wander if their hoofs were cold. Small groups of people were walking, skating, and even biking on this river, whose waters were seemingly frozen in time for yet another season.
Lost in Translation
The cable car delivered us safely to Sun Island Park. A thick blanket of snow lined the streets and it was heaped in piles on anything that wasn’t mobile. We passed an empty food cart on which the English translation was clearly misinterpreted.
I had a giggle, took a quick photo and moved towards an inviting looking coffee hut in the distance completely covered in snow.
The public toilet I visited earlier only had cold water for hand washing. Hygiene becomes a painful affair when washing ones hands without hot water in sub zero temperatures, so I figured I should wrap my hands around a hot drink to warm them back up. It was the first time in China that I was actually grateful for the squat toilet as the thought of resting my bare nether regions on a frozen toilet seat was not very appealing.
Snow Covered Coffee Huts
The coffee huts dotted around Sun Island Park were a real treat and of course, they sell more than just coffee. Instant noodles of endless varieties are sold as well as various dumplings, treats and warm flavoured milk. I opted for a packet of unidentifiable but familiar tasting chips and a warm milk drink with pictures of familiar strawberries on the side.
As we left the first hut, I noticed a stoic looking man standing off in the distance wearing a distinctly Russian looking beanie. This is not unusual considering Harbin’s proximity to Russia and the obvious Russian influence on the architecture, food, and fashion.
What was contradictory, was the young doe eyed deer standing gently beside him. She was on a short rope much like a guard dog would be, except I doubt this real life version of Bambi would be much good at guarding anything.
The imagery was a little surreal, but it soon turned cheesy as a marching band parade broke into song and marched right past. Their costumes appeared to be paying tribute to every single kid’s cartoon that I personally find annoying… except Astro Boy of course! The kind of cartoons you put on in the afternoon when you need thirty minutes to cook dinner. I spotted Upsy Daisy, The Tombliboos and Sponge Bob Square Pants before the last of them filed past heading in the opposite direction.
Gigantic Sculptures
If ice sculptures had tags stating their sizes like T-Shirts, then the sculptures on Sun Island Park would have had tags that read “Gigantic” or “XXXXXL”. In 2007, a Canadian themed sculpture was awarded a Guinness Record for the largest snow sculpture at 200m long and 35m high!
The sculptors seem to be influenced by popular culture with huge representations of popular movie characters, religious and political themes, and iconic imagery.
A quick cable car and taxi ride took us back to the city and then onto Zhaolin Park, where the majority of the ice sculptures were constructed from clear ice bricks. Whilst quite different from the snow sculptures at Sun Island Park, they were no less amazing.
The true magic happens after the sun goes down when the frosted ice bricks are transformed by a multitude of coloured lights. If the wind is up, it’s hard not to feel uncomfortably cold here at night. Fortunately, there are enough restaurants and cafes around to warm up both your insides and outsides before exploring the brightly lit snow castles even further.
Image vis Flickr by Steve Langguth
Embrace Your Thermals and Gloves
Whilst the temperature is obviously freezing cold, it just adds to the ice festival in Harbin’s charm. Embrace your thermals and gloves and give in to sporting a thick Russian looking ear-flap type beanie. The International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival is an event not to be missed!
If you’re looking for a truly memorable adventure in China, check out our post on Mt Huashan. I can’t wait to take the kids here when it’s safe to travel again!
Resources For The Ice Festival in Harbin
Getting Around The Ice Festival
If you don’t feel comfortable navigating the International Snow and Ice Festival in Harbin yourself, try these great tours on Viator.
Where to Stay in Harbin for The Ice Festival
Getting to Harbin in China
An international flight will get you to Beijing on your chosen carrier. Harbin is easily reached from Beijing by a 2-hour domestic flight or an 8-hour bullet train ride.
