Longqingxia Ice Festival
One of the big, must-see events that occurs every winter in China is the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. We've been talking about going, but we have been deterred by the -20 C temperatures that are the typical highs in Harbin in the winter months. We've also heard mixed reviews from foreign friends that have attended, but everyone agrees--Harbin is a very cold place to spend a weekend, the minimum stay necessary for their Ice Festival.
In the Beijing area, a similar festival is hosted in the Longqing Gorge every year, too, but on a smaller scale. It typically opens during Spring Festival and lasts until the end of February, weather permitting. Only an hour drive away from us, Longqing Gorge was a less distant and less cold option.
It was a little late in the season to enjoy the outdoor snow-sculpture portion of the festival. We could still make out the dragon-ish shapes, but the pollution and warming temperatures have done a number on them.
While the outdoor area was a bit of a disappointment for us, the sculptures that were protected under a tarp leading up to the dam were a surprise.
Loads of pictures after the jump.
There was some sort of Korean theme in one of the rooms.
Just stunning, the effect of the lights under the ice.
From this angle, a catwalk above, it looks like a toy or a model.
My favorites were the ice colored to look like jade.
There was a lot of Wow under that tarp.
Leaving the ice festival and walking back down the hill to our car, we enjoyed the lantern portion of the ice festival.
In the Beijing area, a similar festival is hosted in the Longqing Gorge every year, too, but on a smaller scale. It typically opens during Spring Festival and lasts until the end of February, weather permitting. Only an hour drive away from us, Longqing Gorge was a less distant and less cold option.
It was a little late in the season to enjoy the outdoor snow-sculpture portion of the festival. We could still make out the dragon-ish shapes, but the pollution and warming temperatures have done a number on them.
While the outdoor area was a bit of a disappointment for us, the sculptures that were protected under a tarp leading up to the dam were a surprise.
Loads of pictures after the jump.
There was some sort of Korean theme in one of the rooms.
Just stunning, the effect of the lights under the ice.
From this angle, a catwalk above, it looks like a toy or a model.
My favorites were the ice colored to look like jade.
There was a lot of Wow under that tarp.
Leaving the ice festival and walking back down the hill to our car, we enjoyed the lantern portion of the ice festival.
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美麗
Becky Runyan Kopelic