BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- As the winter chill set in, the 27th Harbin Ice-Snow World, a mega carnival of fancy ice and snow sculptures, buildings and entertainment, opened on Wednesday morning.
Situated in "ice city" Harbin in northeast China, this year's session featuring an all-time-high ice and snow use of 400,000 cubic meters offers visitors an opportunity to embrace the vast promise of icy wonderland.
Covering areas up to 1.2 million square meters, Harbin Ice-Snow World greeted tourists with drum shows, welcome dances and the "first-day ice can" gifts to add to the lively aura there.
Apart from the historically high ice and snow use, this year's session stands also for an interaction of the "international style" and Chinese culture, said Guo Hongwei, chairman of Harbin Ice and Snow World Co., Ltd.
Ice buildings such as the ice-made Yellow Crane Tower, an analogue of the time-honored landmark of the same name in Wuhan, central China, is brimming with oriental architectural beauty.
Others including the icy "Manneken Pis", similar to the city landmark of Brussels in Belgium, attest to the friendly ties between China and Belgium, not to mention a Chinese Baroque-style ice scenery complex in the park.
Available also to winter lovers are the upgraded entertainment options there, which include the super-long ice slide that comprises 24 slide-ways, the 120-meter high ferris wheel, AI-powered interactive equipment, and frozen flowers.
Photo shows the night view of the 27th Harbin Ice-Snow World. (Provided by Harbin Ice-Snow World)
On an outdoor dancefloor, "Brother Left and Right", a host who got this nickname on the park's "Dream Stage", accompanied visitors with interactive singing and dancing activities. Its large fantasy show the Chariot of Valor brought spectators a new visual and aural feast.
With newly-built air dome covering 5,000 square meters, travelers can dine and rest in the "warm castle" in wintry days. Foreign travelers are easy to book tickets with passports and overseas payment. Multilingual tour-guide services are also provided in the park.
As a miniature of China's burgeoning ice and snow economy, the park is welcoming global visitors to jointly explore the icy carnival in Harbin, said Guo.
(Edited by Duan Jing with Xinhua Silk Road, duanjing@xinhua.org)
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