Giant snow mazes, illuminated frozen towers and crystal palaces etched from vast blocks of ice greeted visitors to China's annual ice festival in Harbin.
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The frozen dreamscapes have drawn millions of visitors over the years to the wintery northeastern city, which opened the festival on Tuesday despite small Covid-19 outbreaks across China.
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Preparations for the annual winter celebration begin weeks in advance, with workers mining millions of cubic feet of ice from the surface of the Songhua river over long, gruelling shifts.
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The 2022 Beijing Winter Games have inspired a push across China to promote winter sports and tourism, with the number of Chinese snow resorts increasing nearly fourfold in the past decade.
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China has largely brought coronavirus infections under control domestically, with entertainment and cultural venues reopening and life largely returning to normal in recent months.
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But small outbreaks in multiple cities have prompted authorities to step up testing and travel restrictions.
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People look at ice sculptures at the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival.
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Ice sculptures are seen at the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province.
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People looking at ice sculptures at the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival.
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People take photos in front of ice sculptures at the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival.
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People look at ice sculptures at the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival.
Image Credit: AFP
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