Sun Island Snow Sculpture Expo Opens on Dec 23

Breathtaking icy works of art took center stage when the 32th Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo -- part of the grand winter gala, the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival -- opened its doors on Dec 23, according to the organizers.

The expo was established in 1988, when it was known as the garden party. It features huge snow sculptures, that showcase ingenious carving skills, as well as exciting snow entertainment activities and snow sculpture competitions.

This year’s expo highlights four themed areas: Auspicious China, Building a Better Together, Spiritual Huaxia and Happy Homeland -- with representative sculptures such as Oriental Dragon and Auspicious Earth and Dancing in the Snow on display.

The expo covers an area of around 600,000 square meters in total.

In addition, the 20th Heilongjiang Snow Sculpture Competition and the 26th National Snow Sculpture Competition take place in the host site of the snow sculpture art expo in the following two weeks.