A somewhat biased view on China…
Harbin (哈尔滨, Hā’ěrbīn), the very same city that was heavily hit by the huge pollution slick on the SongHua river (松花江, sōng hūa jīang) (1) (2), will open its annual Ice Festival next week on Thursday the 5th. The Festival will last for one month.
The first organized show took place in 1963 and it became annual in 1985. During the Festival, the whole city, especially the parks, is decorated with ice and snow scsulpture. The most amazing spots are the Snow Festival and the Ice and Snow World.
The Snow Festival consists of a international competition of Snow Sculptures. Each team receives a big cube of packed snow and start carving it. And man, the sculptures are really beautifull! If you go there, I advice you stay until just after sunset, when the sculptures are illuminated.
After the Snow Festival, on the way back to Harbin, you’ll find the Ice and Snow World. There, you’ll find huge constructions made of ice blocks. When I went there in 2003, they had a huge boat, the cathedral Notre Dame, etc.
If you like to eat in a fridge, you may even try the Ice Restaurant. Everything is made of ice, from the walls of the restaurant to the furnitures. It covers 260 square meters and provides Hot Pot.
So, if you find Beijing not cold enough, go to Harbin and enjoy its -30C! 
And if you go there, try that Ice Restaurant and send me pictures!!!
Source
China Daily - 2005 12 30
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December 31st, 2005 at 3:34 am
Harbin is not the city of the spill a month ago? The ice includes benzene smell? lol
Well, merry Christmas and happy new year to everybody!!
December 31st, 2005 at 7:23 am
Yes, and they actually expect some pollution issue after the ice melt down…
Anyway, Happy New Year to you and your familly, Santi! And see you soon in Beijing! We’ll have a beer and eat chicken together!
December 31st, 2005 at 9:32 am
Harbin beer is the best, Benzene gives a little taste that only us can enjoy
December 31st, 2005 at 5:14 pm
HaHa! so when you enter in the Ice Restaurant, you don’t need to drink wine to come out drunk.
Thierry, prepare the chicken, but health chicken, ok?
December 31st, 2005 at 6:48 pm
Hehehe… Don’t worry, la! Jacques will prepare some worms, just in case you do not dare to eat the chicken… Hahaha!
January 6th, 2006 at 3:06 am
Hey, when are you coming up to Harbin? The Ice and Snow Festival officially opened today,
well, actually yesterday since it’s well past midnight now…
As for the Harbin Beer, they use well water, not water from the Songhua. The brewery actually
supplied water to people downtown during the water shutdown, though perhaps they would have
preferred some beer.
I can send some pix of the smaller “bing deng” festival in one of the parks near Central Street.
Or you can check out my blog at http://spaces.msn.com/members/jmcmaster
Oh yeah, benzene is odorless, so no funny smell emanating from the ice sculptures!
January 6th, 2006 at 9:16 am
Welcome on ‘Today in China’, Jeffrey!
A few belgian students will go to Harbin, I will tell Fanny to contact you. You might have some good advice for the hotel booking and Harbin whereabouts…
I also added your website to my links on the right column.