Travel

Harbin: China's Frozen Metropolis and Its Spectacular Ice Kingdom

Check Out This Stunning City Made Of Ice

In the depths of northeastern China's harsh winter, when temperatures plummet to -30°C (-22°F), most cities hunker down. But Harbin does the opposite, transforming each year into one of the world's most spectacular winter destinations.

A visitors poses for photos near an ice sculpture before the opening ceremony for the annual Ice and Snow Festival held in Harbin in China's Heilongjiang province on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) — A visitors poses for photos near an ice sculpture before the opening ceremony for the annual Ice and Snow Festival held in Harbin in China's Heilongjiang province on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.
(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

From Humble Ice Lanterns to Global Phenomenon

Harbin's relationship with ice began out of necessity. During frequent power outages in the mid-20th century, residents created "ice lanterns" in the form of frozen shells filled with candles to safely light their courtyards. These "poor man's lanterns," as locals once called them, evolved into an art form that would eventually captivate millions.

A visitor enjoys man made snow before the opening ceremony for the annual Ice and Snow Festival held in Harbin in China's Heilongjiang province on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) — A visitor enjoys machine-made snow before the opening ceremony for the annual Ice and Snow Festival held in Harbin in China's Heilongjiang province on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.
(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

The city's first ice lantern festival in the 1960s drew 250,000 visitors in just six days. By 1985, this had grown into the official Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, now recognized alongside Japan's Sapporo Snow Festival and Canada's Quebec Winter Carnival as one of the world's premier winter celebrations.

Fireworks are set off during the opening ceremony for the annual Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, northeastern China's Heilongjiang province on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) — Fireworks are set off during the opening ceremony for the annual Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, northeastern China's Heilongjiang province on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.
(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

The Crown Jewel: Ice-Snow World

The festival's centerpiece, Harbin Ice-Snow World, opened on Christmas Day 1999 after just 33 days of construction by over 5,000 workers. What began as a 200,000-square-meter park has since expanded to over 1 million square meters, or the equivalent of 168 football fields.

Each year, tens of thousands of workers labor around the clock to construct this ephemeral city from hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of ice harvested from the nearby Songhua River. The park features:

Massive ice castles and sculptures, some reaching 24 meters (79 feet) high
A 521-meter (1,709-foot) ice slide with a 21-meter (69-foot) vertical drop
Intricate replicas of world landmarks, from Notre Dame Cathedral to China's Terracotta Army
A workforce of over 40,000 skilled ice sculptors — now a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage

Visitors enjoy a slide at the annual Ice and Snow Festival held in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) — Visitors enjoy a slide at the annual Ice and Snow Festival held in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.
(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Tourism Boom and Cultural Impact

Visitors pose for selfies as man made snow falls before the opening ceremony for the annual Ice and Snow Festival held in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) — Visitors pose for selfies as machine-made snow falls before the opening ceremony for the annual Ice and Snow Festival held in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.
(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

The park's popularity exploded in recent years, particularly after 2023, when visitor numbers nearly quadrupled, from 800,000 to 2.7 million. The 2024-2025 season saw over 90 million visits to Harbin overall, generating 137 billion yuan (approximately $19.6 billion USD) in tourism revenue. The festival runs from mid-December through early February, when rising temperatures finally begin to melt the frozen wonderland.

Would you like to visit Harbin's Snow and Ice World? Let us know in the comments!