Harbin ice festival: China celebrates ice sculptures

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two kids in front of giant ice castle structureImage source, PEDRO PARDO
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This colossal building in China is made completely from ice.

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It's part of an international ice and snow festival that takes place every year in Harbin, in China. Members of the public can pay to walk around the sculptures and explore the festival park.

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Making the sculptures is hot, painstaking work. This artist is using a hand-held heater to shape the ice into the design he wants. As you can imagine, ice is very difficult to work with, and you need freezing conditions for the ice to hold its shape.

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If you want to take a break from looking at art, visitors can also indulge in some slide action, courtesy of these giant slides made from, yes, you guessed it, ice. How cool do they look?

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At night the incredible structures are lit up with colourful lights. The ice glows different colours for people to enjoy.

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A few of the buildings look big enough to walk around

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It's not an ice festival without a thrilling opening ceremony. People were invited to dance beneath the ice sculptures to celebrate the amazing work by these artists.