Northeast China's Harbin, often referred to as the "Ice City", boasts adorable snowman statues during the annual ice and snow festival season. The 2025 Asian Winter Games begin in Harbin, in northeast China's Heilongjiang province, in a month. The city is entering the final stage of preparations and is holding several test events to make sure everything goes smoothly. The mascots are already ready (pictured).
To help you explore this glittering wonderland, we bring you a guide to the giant snowmen you must see in Harbin this winter. These larger-than-life snowmen are made with incredible attention to detail and are perfect for photography!
1. Snowman "celebrity" in Harbin Qunli Music Park
Boasting a height of 18 metres, a jaunty red hat, scarf and heart-shaped buttons, this snowman is a local favourite and internet sensation.
2. 23-meter high snowman at the Harbin Bund snowman dock
This colossal figure at Harbin Bund Snowman Wharf is hard to miss. He towers 23 metres high, wearing a red cap and a green and white scarf, and holding a trophy and a flaming torch.
3. Space Snowman in Chuang Guandong Square
In Harbin's Daowai district, a 10-meter-tall snowman dressed as an astronaut caught the attention of visitors. This sculpture was inspired by the launch of the Chinese spacecraft Shenzhou-19.
4. Mr. Snowman in the Sun Island Scenic Area
Located in Harbin's Songbei district, this 20-meter-tall snowman with a charming orange nose is made of 4,000 cubic meters of snow. On his head is a cap with a snowflake pattern and a bright red scarf.
5. Family of snowmen in Harbin World of Ice and Snow
This adorable trio - Snow Dad, Snow Mom and Snow Baby - snuggle together with bright smiles and radiate warmth and love in Harbin's icy and snowy world.
6. Kissing snowmen on Binshui Avenue
Near Harbin's Grand Theatre on Binshui Avenue, a pair of ten-meter tall snowmen stealing a kiss has become a romantic winter icon.
Harbin intensifies preparations for Asian Winter Games
Harbin has already completed seven of the 14 scheduled test events, including figure skating, ice hockey and curling, and on Tuesday he focused on cross-country skiing. In addition, a speed skating test event is scheduled for Sunday and Monday, with more than 65 athletes competing in seven events.
Organisers say key preparations are underway and arrival and departure services have been set up at airports and train stations. The arrivals and departures system was officially launched last month and rail capacity has been increased, including three special sightseeing trains, in an effort to improve transport, demonstrating Harbin's commitment to ensuring the success of the Games.
Meanwhile, Harbin Taiping International Airport has introduced a 240-hour transit visa exemption policy, extending the original three-day stay to ten days.
The number of ports of entry where the new policy applies has increased from 39 in 19 provinces to 60 in 24 provinces, allowing tourists exempt from transit visas to move freely through these designated regions at the provincial level during their 10-day stay.
In preparation for the Games, Taiping International, the designated entry and exit centre for the event, has set up a special "Asian Winter Games Special Channel".
The Exit Border Control Station in Harbin has deployed advisors to help expedite the clearance of participants and event staff. The airport has an extensive air transport network with 19 international routes connecting Russia, Japan, South Korea and other countries and regions and hopes to be well prepared to welcome participants and officials from across the continent. Entry and exit services will begin on January 27.
The organisers also announced that the Games' main media centre has begun trial operations. The facility is divided into two parts, which are the Main Press Centre and the International Broadcast Centre. The MPC is equipped with nine rooms, including a comprehensive service area, public media offices, a press conference hall and an interview area. Meanwhile, the IBC will function as a technical centre for organisations and broadcasters. All aspects will be tested during this trial period and the organisers are confident that all challenges will be met.
"We will perform joint debugging and testing of the infrastructure setup. This includes assessing how well the different areas of activity are coordinated and whether the services provided can be effectively aligned," He told Lyu Zhuangzhi, Director of Media Operations for the Harbin Asian Winter Games.
"Once we establish a collaborative dynamic, we aim to create a seamless operational chain. If we encounter any problems, we will address them promptly, thus ensuring the smooth running of our operational processes and satisfactory service to registered journalists from Chinese and foreign media during the Games."
CMG/ gnews - RoZ
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