Video: Visitors flock to China’s ‘ice city’

FAIRYTALE palaces, towering pagodas and even an Egyptian Sphinx are among the sights at this year’s Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in northern China.

The annual “ice city” event, now in its 26th year, pulls crowds from across China and even visitors from overseas.

They are drawn to the unique visions of an international roster of sculptors who illuminate their creations with multi-coloured electric lights encased in the translucent ice city.

The opening ceremony featured a fireworks display lighting up the sky above the festival’s main site on Sun Island in a frozen riverside community that calls itself China’s ice city.