The Chinese city of Harbin is gearing up for its annual ice festival. While winter temperatures can drop to minus 35 degrees celsius, the event is expected to draw several million tourists outdoors to view a dazzling display of ice sculptures.
Carefully crafted by teams of artists, one of the festival’s centerpieces is a city composed entirely of illuminated ice structures. An update of a traditional Chinese lighting practice known as the “ice lantern,” these luminous creations require a more translucent type of ice. Festival organizers must travel to the frozen Songhua river, where the ice is said to be polished by the continuous flow of water beneath its surface.