Harbin Ice and Snow Festival
Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province, is a beautiful city featuring a great number of European-style houses and the amalgamation of Chinese and foreine cultures. Every year the ice period lasts about 90 days in Harbin, hence it is known as the 'Ice City of China'. The bitter-cold and long-lasting winter and solid ice with strong plasticity and unusual compressive resistance provide the special natural conditions for the development of the Ice and Snow Festival. To promote the ice and snow culture of Harbin and raise the international reputation of Harbin tourism, the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival is held every year starting from 1985.
Traditionally, the festival runs from mid-December to the late February. Its official ceremony usually held on January 5th (the ceremony of 2010 is on January 2) each year. During the festival, the host city holds the ice lantern park fairs, the snow sculptures park fairs, and international competinons for ice and snow sculptures;launches winter swimming,animal watching, speed skating, alpine skiing and cross-field skiing competitons;
To spend the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, tourists can find some best sites, for example, Songhua River Tourist Area, Sun Island, St.Sofia Church, Bliss Temple, the Mosque, Yabuli Ski Resort, Erlongshan Ski Resort, China's Snow Town, Yangcaoshan Mountain, Ice and Snow World, and the Siberian Tiger Park etc.
Enjoy the beautiful pics of the Harbin ice festival here-http://www.chinafacttours.com/
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
