Ice sculptures provide new look at city's heritage and hopes for future

Renowned worldwide for its unique ice and snow culture, Harbin, capital city of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, attracts throngs of visitors annually — particularly to experience its fantastic ice sculptures.

From late December to mid-February, the city's streets, parks and squares are transformed into magnificent stages for ice and snow sculptures themed around figures, animals and abstract patterns that demonstrate the exquisite skills of the people of Harbin while conveying their aspirations for happiness and prosperity.

Xu Haonan has spent eight years on ice sculpture, an art he has pursued since childhood. "The first ice lantern I ever saw was made by my grandfather. I witnessed the process of him freezing a few pieces of colored paper in a small bucket and tying it to a wooden stick with a rope," said Xu, who was born in 1998 and lived near the Songhua River, where workers collected ice blocks in the winter.

"At that time, I was curious and imagined that one day I could create such works. I chose public art as my major when I entered Harbin University in 2016. I also participated in various ice sculpture competitions, winning several national and international medals."

In December 2023, Xu opened his studio, focusing on ice carvings.

"The process of ice carving is not easy," he said. "From design, material selection and carving to the final polishing, each step requires a significant amount of time and effort. Especially in the cold winter, working outdoors for long periods is a great test of an ice sculptor's physical strength and willpower."

Unlike ice landscapes in other places, most of which are made of artificial ice, the sculptures in Harbin are all built with natural materials. On the frozen Songhua River, which runs through the city, workers use chain saws to cut blocks to the required size.

The origin of Harbin's ice sculptures can be traced back to the 1960s, when a group of local artists and enthusiasts passionate about ice and snow art began skillfully sculpting unique shapes and patterns from the ice blocks. After decades of development and evolution, the city's ice sculpturing has become a brilliant gem of Chinese winter culture.

Over the decades, Harbin's ice sculptors have developed a unique style and skill set through practice and exploration. They use high-quality natural ice blocks and employ techniques such as carving, polishing, and coloring to transform them into exquisite works of art. During the production process, sculptors who master a rich set of carving techniques and knowledge of color coordination utilize various tools to sculpt the ice into different shapes and patterns according to the theme and design requirements.

The color coordination techniques also make the works more vivid and realistic.

Harbin's ice sculptures reflect various aspects of the history, culture and folklore of the northeastern region, serving as important artifacts for studying the historical culture of the region. They also serve as a bridge for cultural exchange between East and West, providing a crucial window for people around the world to understand Chinese ice and snow culture.

"This winter, Harbin is eagerly anticipating the arrival of tourists, especially with the upcoming Asian Winter Games," Xu said. "Our ice carving orders have increased by around 20 percent compared to previous years, and I hope to create sculptures that will provide visitors with even more wonderful visual experiences. I also hope to contribute my efforts to the healthy development and inheritance of our ice carving tradition."

During this winter season, the city has held a series of ice and snow sculpture events to promote the high-quality development of the ice and snow industry. To organize and manage ice and snow sculpture events in a standardized manner, Harbin has promoted and approved the formulation of nine standards, including one national standard, five local standards and three group standards covering aspects such as ice and snow landscape design, construction, safety, services in ice and snow parks, and ice and snow sculpture events.

The city's standardization has established a comprehensive foundation for the high-quality development of the ice and snow industry while setting a benchmark for the country.