Harbin launched its annual ice-harvesting festival on Sunday, officially starting the city’s winter tourism season. The ice-harvesting festival combines traditional techniques with preparations for a record tourism influx.
Workers on the frozen Songhua River wore red cotton coats. They used chisels to cut uniform ice slabs, about 1.6 meters long and 0.8 meters wide. These blocks will be transported to create slides, castles, and other attractions at Harbin Ice-Snow World.
Over the next month, nearly 1,000 laborers will carve and move up to 10,000 cubic meters of ice daily. City officials timed the festival with Daxue, or Major Snow, to ensure the ice reaches optimal thickness.
Sun Zemin, deputy director of Harbin Ice-Snow World Park, said the park will expand to 1.2 million square meters this year. Organizers plan to use 400,000 cubic meters of ice and snow for new attractions. These include hot spring camps, cross-country skiing tracks, and themed parades.
The festival highlights Harbin’s efforts to grow winter tourism and China’s ice-and-snow economy. Last winter, the city welcomed 90.35 million visitors, generating 137.22 billion yuan ($19.4 billion) in total spending.
Wang Hongxin, director of Harbin’s culture, radio, television, and tourism department, said the city integrates ice-and-snow activities with study tours, sports, and technology. He emphasized that officials aim to attract international travelers while improving infrastructure and smart tourism services.
Provincial statistics show Heilongjiang Province’s ice-and-snow economy reached 266.17 billion yuan in 2024, with tourism contributing 182.33 billion yuan. National guidelines target a 1.2 trillion yuan ice-and-snow economy by 2027 and 1.5 trillion yuan by 2030.
The ice-harvesting festival demonstrates the city’s commitment to tradition, economic growth, and global tourism promotion. Officials expect the event to boost local businesses and strengthen northeast China’s winter economy.
