Harbin, the Snow Sculptures

As if the Ice Festival weren't enough, just up the road lies the Snow Sculpture Park. These aren't your Michigan winter's day snow forts. The city trucks in tons and tons of snow and team compete to build these epic feats of frozen water: 

 Flowers glued onto the trees. Because, China:

 Just warming up:

 

This sculpture is meant to encapsulate China's brave mission in defending their rights in the South China Sea. Yes, folks, you're looking at political snow: 

 University teams:

 Renee trying her hand:

 

 

 Hot chocolate stop:

 

 

Health and safety:

 Ice and snow. Snow and ice:

 

 A little New Zealand touch:

 And suddenly we're in Moscow:

 

 

 With the ice pagodas:

 And the Penguins of Madagascar:

 And roman nods to antiquity:

 We ended our trip with a two-hour traffic jam and a temple:

 

 

 

Great weekend. Crazy place. I'm feeling very, very grateful that I passed up a job opportunity in Harbin years ago. 

Harbin, the Ice Festival

Once you've fought with all the layers, it's time to brave the cold and see the influence Russia brough to this very northern city. It quickly manifests itself in a disused Cathedral that houses oddly lit religious art: 

And old paved roads in the city centre are dotted with ice--slides, sculptures, anything you could imagine:

Close up:

Outside, you still bundle up and huddle for warmth:

Because China is a genius for its knock-off products, this restaurant is actually packed to the rafters. Who needs Nando's when Nanbo's will do?

On to Stalin Park and the frozen river that hosts an amusement park of sorts. Ice swimming, sledding across the river banks, even a ferris wheel dots the landscape:

Sled dogs!

Bumper sledding:

And for the main attraction, you head to the Ice Festival at Sunset:

And are greeted with a veritable world of iconic buildings made entirely out of bricks of ice:

It's colourful:

Hagia Sophia:

Taipei:

St. Basil's Cathedral:

From time to time you check that you can still feel your hands:

Ganesh, made of ice:

And glimpse the world below:

No visit would be complete without the Great Wall of Snow:

And dancing in the shadows:

Seriously, China on crack.