Ice and Snow Art Museum

Ice and Snow Art Museum

The Harbin Ice and Snow Art Museum commenced construction on November 1, 2000, and officially opened to the public on June 24, 2001. Under the direct participation and leadership of the Harbin Municipal People's Government, it organized multiple deliberations with renowned local ice and snow art experts and scholars. Each time, over a hundred highly skilled ice and snow sculpture masters went through meticulous planning and design, and then utilized natural ice from the Songhua River, artificial snow, and man-made colored ice, applying techniques such as masonry, stacking, carving, inlaying, and freezing. These were artfully complemented with colorful lighting, stage lighting, and synchronized sound effects, striving to achieve a harmonious unity of form, light, motion, and sound. The Harbin Ice and Snow Art Museum has a total construction area of 5,000 square meters, with an interior clearance height of 7 meters, displaying over 100 ice and snow landscapes. The indoor temperature is maintained year-round between minus 5°C and minus 10°C, making it currently the world’s largest indoor ice lantern and snow sculpture exhibition hall.

The Harbin Ice and Snow Art Museum is constructed every winter and opens to visitors in spring, summer, and autumn. Each year, new designs are created. The exhibited ice and snow scenes cover a wide range of themes, including northern heated brick beds, exotic pavilions of the south, churches of the Ice City, and Beijing’s Temple of Heaven. The varieties on display are comprehensive—not only featuring ice architecture, ice sculptures, and ice waterfalls, but also ice calligraphy, such as ice screens engraved with Chairman Mao’s handwritten “Snow” from “Qinyuan Chun,” as well as some colored ice scenes, like the ice screen “Fairy Scattering Flowers” inlaid with colors. The displays here are constantly updated, and this year visitors will be presented with another magical fairy-tale world.

The museum has two floors in total. The uppermost floor is the office area, designated for receiving leaders and distinguished guests from all walks of life, while the ground floor is the main visiting and entertainment area for tourists. In the center of the lobby hang some precious calligraphic and painting works for visitors to admire. The lobby also features a costume exchange counter. Considering the low temperatures when viewing the ice lanterns, various styles of cold-proof clothing and non-slip shoes are provided to keep visitors warm. Nearby, there are digital cloakrooms for storing clothes and personal belongings. Opposite this area are Northeastern specialties and exquisitely crafted souvenirs for visitors to view or take home as mementos—such as tea, wood ear fungus, mushrooms, amber, and uniquely designed small ornaments. Some warming drinks, such as ginger soup, are also available to help visitors ward off the cold after their tour. Around the lobby, there are beverage counters and digital photo booths where visitors can capture lasting memories. Undoubtedly, the most important highlight of the lobby is what visitors come to see—the mysterious ice lanterns.

The first area you enter is the “Exquisite Carving Zone”: The original “Cupid” was carved by a French team and won the second prize at the 2005 “Snow Expo.” The original “Autumn” was carved by a duo from Russia’s Khabarovsk and won the first prize at the 2005 “Snow Expo.” The large-scale ice sculpture “Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl” is a classic piece passed down through generations about dragons. From afar, the two dragons playing with the pearl are vivid and imposing. “Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl” symbolizes good fortune and carries strong traditional cultural significance. Another landscape, “A Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate,” is also closely related to dragons. The entire sculpture is incredibly lifelike, as if symbolizing that the descendants of the dragon will one day leap over the gate to become pillars of the nation. In the “Exquisite Carving Zone,” there are other eye-catching works, such as “The Spring,” which won the first prize, “Canadian Wildlife,” which won the second prize, and the ice sculpture “Sun Island,” modeled after the iconic sculpture on Sun Island. Each piece is crystal clear and vivid, making visitors feel as though they are in a real natural landscape.

After admiring these exquisitely crafted ice and snow sculptures, you’ll arrive at the second major scenic area—the “Children’s World.”

Although you’re in an “icy and snowy” environment, stepping into this area gives you a vibrant feeling, as if you’ve returned to your childhood. The ice sculpture “Deer-Pulled Sleigh” recreates a northeastern folk scene and lets children experience the fun. There are also Disney characters like “Mickey Mouse” and “Donald Duck,” as well as kids’ favorite animals like dogs and rabbits—all crafted vividly and lifelike. There are also amusement park staples like small carts, electric carriages, and slides, offering a full experience of the thrill and joy of ice play.

The fifth major scenic area of the Harbin Ice and Snow Art Museum is a giant slide, standing 6 meters high, 20 meters long, and 12 meters wide. Amid the flickering lights on both sides of the slide, test your courage and show off your skills in this dreamlike world—it’s quite an experience. Standing at the top of the slide, you’re at the highest point in the entire museum, where you can enjoy the full view of the exhibits. Your eyes will be filled with the perfect combination of glittering, translucent ice and lights. The flowers, birds, fish, and insects seem to carry the breath of nature.

The fourth major scenic area of the Harbin Ice and Snow Art Museum, “Famous Works and Literary Classics,” showcases many exquisite and well-known ice and snow sculptures. First, you’ll see Jiang Taigong calmly sitting at his fishing spot. The colored sculpture “Jiang Taigong Fishing” is crafted from colored ice. While admiring the sculpture, do you recall the TV series “The Investiture of the Gods” that has entered countless homes? Stepping away from that captivating historical myth, you’ll encounter a beautiful fairy tale—the ice sculpture “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” is modeled after the classic story. In the fourth scenic area, there’s also a section dedicated to marine life. The colored ice sculpture “Swimming Fish” and the large ice sculpture “Undersea Revisited” recreate the mysterious and colorful world of underwater creatures. Joy is always an eternal theme, and the colored sculpture “Joy” is a creation based on this concept. With its novel design and exquisite craftsmanship, it brings a lively and cheerful feeling through its depiction of flowers, birds, fish, and insects.

“Buddha” holds a significant place in the hearts of many Chinese people. Since Buddhism was introduced to China from India during the Tang Dynasty, it has taken deep root in the hearts of many descendants of the Chinese nation. The “Hundred Buddha Mountain” area of the Harbin Ice and Snow Art Museum gathers numerous Buddhas, allowing you to once again experience that sacred feeling. First, you’ll see the large snow-like sculpture “Maitreya Buddha,” which is incredibly lifelike, with a delightful expression and vivid details. The Buddha lies horizontally on an ice platform, resting his right hand on his head and his left hand naturally on his body. The meticulously carved navel and the string of Buddhist beads on his chest showcase the exceptional skill and detail of the carving art. Walking up the ice staircase behind the Maitreya Buddha sculpture, you’ll see a small mountain-like ice structure. Around it sit exquisitely carved ice Buddha statues, with hands clasped and lips slightly parted. Standing nearby, you can almost hear the profound Buddhist scriptures resonating from their mouths. Just a short winding path away from this sacred mountain is an elegant little pavilion, perhaps a resting spot for those who climb the mountain to worship. In this scenic area, there are other ice and snow sculptures as well, such as the ice sculpture “Elephant,” which serves as a symbol of good fortune. Elephants are known for their strength, intelligence, mutual assistance, and respect for others. This snow-like elephant sculpture has sturdy limbs and a trunk pointing to the sky, as if welcoming visitors from around the world in its own language.

Although the Ice and Snow Art Museum is cold, it’s a cold with flavor, a cold with charm, and a cold that makes people even more reluctant to leave. It attracts visitors from all over, whether domestic or international, whether central or local leaders, whether domestic and international celebrities, or ambassadors from various countries—all have spoken highly of the beautiful scenery here. Those who have only seen ice lanterns on TV and never experienced them firsthand are often deeply moved upon entering the ice scenes, captivated by the artistry condensed in every carved detail. This is the imaginative space that the Harbin Ice and Snow Art Museum creates for you. The Harbin Ice and Snow Art Museum is a milestone in the history of ice and snow art in Harbin and the world. It fills the gap of having no ice and snow landscapes in the city for three seasons, providing Harbin with year-round ice and snow tourism products that attract visitors. At the same time, with its unique ice sculptures, the museum showcases the determination of the people of Harbin to bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics.