Let it snow! Stunning wonderland built entirely with ice is illuminated by neon lights as the world's largest winter festival opens in China
The world's largest winter festival has quietly opened in China amid the COVID-19 pandemic as the country grapples with coronavirus flare-ups in several regions.
A sprawling 'Kingdom of Ice and Snow', a theme park built entirely with local ice chunks, was illuminated by neon lights as the 37th Harbin Ice and Snow Festival officially kicked off on Tuesday.
As the main tourist attraction of Harbin, which is known as China's 'City of Ice', the wintry carnival usually draws hundreds of millions of visitors a year.
But this year, the number of visitors has dropped and the organiser said it had to cancel the festival's opening ceremony to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
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Now that's a cool city! The world's largest winter festival quietly opened in China on Tuesday amid the COVID-19 pandemic
Dazzling in the dark: A sprawling 'Kingdom of Ice and Snow', a theme park built with ice chunks, was lit up for the festivities
Spectacular: The wintry carnival is the main tourist attraction of Harbin usually draws hundreds of millions of visitors a year
Welcome to the festival: But this year, the organiser said it had to cancel the festival's opening ceremony to curb COVID-19
Winter wonderland: The number of visitors has also dropped as China faces several small-scale virus outbreaks in the north
The theme park also cancelled its New Year countdown, which was to feature a light show, live music and a disco party of some 10,000 revellers.
Visitors to this year's festival are required to show a 'health code' on a contact-tracing app and have their temperatures measured before entering venues.
China is facing several small-scale COVID-19 outbreaks in the northern provinces. Authorities on Wednesday imposed travel restrictions and banned gatherings in Shijiazhuang, the capital city of Hebei Province, in the latest escalation of measures to stave off another coronavirus wave.
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The park also cancelled its New Year countdown, which was to feature a light show, live music and a party of 10,000 revellers
Visitors to this year's festival are required to show a 'health code' on a contact-tracing app and have their temperatures taken
China is facing several small COVID-19 outbreaks in the northern provinces as the Harbin winter festival welcomes visitors
Chinese authorities on Wednesday imposed travel restrictions and banned gatherings in the capital city of Hebei province
With a population of around one million, Harbin is the provincial capital of Heilongjiang near the China-Russia border.
It is billed as 'the Moscow of the Far East' for its heavy Russian influence due to the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway at the beginning of the 20th century.
The renowned annual festival of all things wintry began in 1985. It usually lasts for a month or so, and its exact closing date depends on when the ice begins to thaw.
The spectacular ice kingdom, officially known as the Ice and Snow World, was established in 1998 and has been the festival's crown jewel since.
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With a population of around one million, Harbin is the provincial capital of Heilongjiang near the China-Russia border
It is billed as 'the Moscow of the Far East' for its heavy Russian influence due to the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway
The renowned annual festival celebrates its 37th edition in 2021 and is expected to last for a month or so until early February
The huge ice kingdom, officially known as the Ice and Snow World, was established in 1998 and is the festival's crown jewel
The rainbow-coloured wonderland occupies 148 acres and is a little bigger than London's Hyde Park. Its admission has been lowered by more than half to 100 yuan (£11) this year to make up for the cancelled events.
Stunning footage released by China's state-run television station CGTN shows the fairy-tale-like theme park dazzling in bright neon lights as tourists admire its splendour in sub-zero temperatures.
Thousands of sculpture artists spent half a month building the massive icy utopia with ice chunks hauled from the local Songhua River.
The rainbow-coloured wonderland in the 'City of Ice' Harbin occupies 148 acres and is a little bigger than London's Hyde Park
The park's admission has been lowered by more than half to 100 yuan (£11) this year to make up for the cancelled events
Footage shows the fairy-tale-like theme park dazzling in neon lights as tourists admire its splendour in sub-zero temperatures
Thousands of sculpture artists spent half a month building the massive icy utopia with ice chunks hauled from Songhua River
According to the organiser, this year's park features structures devoted to China, Mongolia, Russia, as well as 17 eastern and central European countries including Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Czech Public.
The kingdom's centrepiece is called 'the heart of the ice city'. The impressive frozen high-rise, inspired by the shape of crystal columns, measures 40 metres (131 feet) in height and is as tall as a 12-storey office building.
The organiser has also built eight gigantic ice slides, a constant favourite for visitors in the past years.
This year's park features structures devoted to China, Mongolia, Russia, as well as 17 eastern and central European countries
The kingdom's centrepiece is called 'the heart of the ice city', an impressive tower inspired by the shape of crystal columns
Apart from the theme park, this year's festival features a Snow Expo, which sees artists chisel massive sculptures out of snow
The Expo's main draw is a dragon-themed sculpture, which measures 116 metres (380 feet) long and 33 metres (108 feet) tall
Apart from the theme park, this year's festival features a Snow Expo, which sees artists chisel massive sculptures out of snow.
The Expo's main draw is a dragon-themed sculpture, which measures 116 metres (380 feet) long, 33 metres (108 feet) tall and is made with a whopping 35,000 cubic metres (1.2million cubic feet) of snow.
An ice lantern fair is going on as planned. Tourists can observe about 270 pieces of artwork in a 15-acre park.