China's Northeast Ice and Snow Festival: Rime and Ice Lanterns Showcase Local Charm

Starting every December, various ice and snow festivals take place across China’s Northeast region. Among them, the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival is the largest in scale, the rime in Jilin is a rare sight, and the ice displays in Changchun are diverse and distinctive—each offering its own unique appeal. For travelers from Taiwan, which enjoys a subtropical climate, these festivals are the best chance to experience the captivating chill of the northern regions.

Gathering vast amounts of ice and snow from the Songhua River, the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival began in 1963 as a local art exhibition. It wasn’t until 1985 that it evolved into a formal arts event. Although the official festival period runs from January 5 to the end of February each year, various warm-up activities such as snow and ice sculptures or photography exhibitions start as early as December of the previous year. With a scale more than 20 times larger than Hokkaido’s Snow Festival, it creates a complete snow Disney-like world made entirely of ice and snow. It has become a nationwide event, achieving remarkable tourism revenue each year. As a national-level ice and snow festival, it also ranks first in the world in terms of both scale and duration.

The 2010 Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, themed “Celebrating Prosperity with Ice and Snow, Sharing Harmony Together,” invited newly crowned actress Fan Bingbing as its ambassador. It featured five major sections—ice and snow art, ice and snow culture, ice and snow tourism, ice and snow sports, and ice and snow trade—with over a hundred activities. During the festival, international snow sculpture, ice sculpture, and winter swimming competitions were also held, dazzling visitors with their visual impact.

Although less famous than the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, the Jilin Rime and Ice Festival has gradually gained recognition since its launch in 1991, thanks to the rare sight of rime and the “Three Lights Illuminating the Winter” event. Rime refers to the coral-like ice crystals that form on tree branches when moisture in the air condenses in cold temperatures. Also known as ice flowers, tree frost, or snow willows, it is listed among China’s Four Natural Wonders, alongside Guilin’s landscapes, Yunnan’s stone forests, and the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. Its formation requires precise natural conditions—typically when temperatures drop to minus 30 to 40 degrees Celsius. The Fengman Hydropower Station upstream of the Songhua River releases large amounts of warm vapor, which drifts to the riverside trees. When this mist meets the cold air, it condenses into water and rapidly turns into crystalline formations. Layer upon layer accumulates on the branches, creating the sparkling white rime that stretches for over ten miles—a truly magnificent sight.

In addition to rime, the Jilin Ice and Snow Festival also hosts ice and snow sports competitions, fireworks displays, colorful boat parades, Northeastern yangge dance performances, folk festivals of the Manchu and Korean ethnic groups, as well as a Northeastern cuisine food festival. Another highlight is the “Three Lights Illuminating the Winter” event—similar to Taiwan’s sky lanterns, there are “river lanterns” set afloat, “colorful lanterns” hung like those during the Lantern Festival, and dazzling “ice lanterns” adorning the streets. These elements create a lively, festive atmosphere, bringing the ice and snow festival to its most exciting peak.

Read more: The Lake Shikaribetsu Ice Village Festival (provided by Tripass Scenic Spots)