Harbin wonderland welcomes the world

International

Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, is a top destination for domestic and international tourists seeking a spectacular winter adventure.

As the host of the ongoing 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games, the city has prepared an array of innovative events to optimize tourism and meet the expectations of visitors and residents alike.

The 26th Harbin Ice and Snow World celebration has welcomed numerous tourists from home and abroad since opening on Dec 21.

"The park's design and construction fully integrate elements of the ninth Asian Winter Games, creating a more dazzling ice and snow theme," said Luo Xin, deputy general manager of Harbin Ice and Snow World Park.

A series of activities, including an ice harvesting festival, a fantasy show, outdoor performances and ice carving competitions, are all part of the festivities. Whizzing down an over-500-meter ice slide, Zhang Jiajia, a tourist from East China's Zhejiang province, felt like she was flying. "It's super exciting and my heart soared with me," Zhang said.

This year's celebration is the largest in Harbin's history, with over 300,000 cubic meters of ice and snow sculpted in nine major zones, recreating landscapes and famous structures from 42 countries and three regions that are members of the Olympic Council of Asia. The structures include the Temple of Heaven in China, Osaka Castle in Japan and the Taj Mahal in India.

The park's main attraction — a tower called Love Among Asia — draws inspiration from the official emblem of the OCA. The tower's core maintains a radiant sun shape, representing the vigorous development of Asia and Asian sports.

The designers also made innovations in lighting technology to create stunning visual effects, and there is an adjoined super-sized snowflake maze with illuminated ice walls.

The paths inside the ice maze feature interactive scenes inspired by the 12 zodiac animals. There are also over 20 carefully designed small ice slides scattered throughout the park, each with beautiful and whimsical designs.

Additionally, a series of arts performances in the park are bringing unique experiences to the audience.