China's Ice City BLEW ME AWAY! : The Harbin ICE Festival Experience

🎥 Dive into the mesmerizing world of the Harbin Snow and Ice Festival with Barrett's latest YouTube video! 🏰❄️ 👀 Get ready to be blown away by the stunning ice architecture and LED-lit sculptures that transform Harbin into a magical icy kingdom. This is not just a festival; it's an artistic marvel sculpted from snow and ice! 🚁 Experience breathtaking drone footage and firsthand excitement as Barrett navigates this extraordinary event. From the massive ice structures to the intricate details of the sculptures, every moment is a visual feast! 🌐 Join Barrett on this unforgettable journey and witness one of the world's most unique festivals. Whether you're a fan of winter beauty, cultural festivals, or just looking for something awe-inspiring, this video is a must-watch!

---- About Ice & Snow Festival Harbin China ----

The Harbin Snow and Ice Festival, held in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China, is one of the world's largest and most spectacular winter festivals. Here are some key details about this remarkable event:

History and Timing: The festival originated in the early 1960s and has grown into an annual event that typically starts in early January and lasts until late February, depending on weather conditions. It officially began as an annual event in 1985.

Ice and Snow Sculptures: The festival is famous for its massive, intricate sculptures made of ice and snow. These sculptures range from life-sized statues to enormous buildings and intricate landscapes, all crafted from blocks of ice taken from the nearby Songhua River. At night, these sculptures are illuminated with colorful lights, creating a vibrant and magical atmosphere.

Venues: The festival is spread across several locations in Harbin. The main sites are:

Sun Island Scenic Area: Known for hosting the Snow Sculpture Art Expo, featuring large snow sculptures.
Ice and Snow World: Offers a dazzling display of ice sculptures and buildings, including replicas of famous global landmarks, all illuminated at night.
Zhaolin Park: Showcases traditional Chinese ice lanterns and smaller ice sculptures.
Activities and Events: Visitors can enjoy a variety of winter activities, such as ice skating, ice swimming, and sledging. The festival also hosts ice and snow sports competitions, ice sculpture contests, and cultural performances.

Cultural Significance: The festival reflects Harbin's historical and cultural ties with Russia and is influenced by Russian art and architecture, evident in some of the ice sculptures and buildings.

Tourism and Economy: The festival attracts millions of tourists from around the world, significantly contributing to the local economy. It's a major highlight for those visiting China in winter and offers a unique experience of Chinese culture and artistry in ice and snow.

Challenges and Preparations: Preparing for the festival is a massive undertaking. Artists and workers endure harsh winter conditions to create the sculptures, often starting work in early December. The festival's success is also closely tied to the weather, requiring sufficiently cold temperatures to maintain the ice structures.

The Harbin Snow and Ice Festival stands as a testament to human creativity and resilience in the face of winter's harshness, offering a truly unique and awe-inspiring experience.

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[davidw.]

What's most amazing is that they don't build it only for one year, they build it every year and with different designs and looks, and this year it is already the 25th year they are doing it (Ice and Snow World).
And I laughed when you bought the Bingtanghulu (sugar coated strawberries), because my immediate thought was it would be frozen. 🤣

[kennyg-]

The logistics, planning and project management in building the ice city is incredible. Then again China built 2 full size hospitals in 10 days during covid, so this will be a piece of cake!!

[DK-evdg]

Whatever China does, does it on mind-boggling scale and astonishing. What a talented artists!!

[mei]

Welcome to China! We love our country as much as you do!

Please come and understand the hospitality of the Chinese people for yourself, and do not believe the malicious reports in the media.

[Self-fundedCents]

If the Chinese could built the Great Wall thousands of years ago on the mountains without using any technology, it’s just a piece of cake for the Chinese to bring “Frozen” on a plain field into real life with all the cutting edge technologies now

[steelydan]

The scale of the place just blew me away!

[utuwwev]

OMG! What a great video. China is never lack of excitement. Thanks a lot for bringing us to Harbin.

[ufzdtdj]

I was born and raised in Harbin the ice city. They have been building those colorful ice buildings since 1980s, not as big as they are now, but it was still breathtaking. The video is not enough to show the magnificent colors and view. Everyone should physically be there to witness the fantastic art. You will be shocked. You won't see it anywhere else in the world.

[Zp-ueiv]

I visited Harbin 30 years ago. I was stunned when I saw the ice sculptures. They're massive. They're so colorful and vivid at night.

[dayh]

Years ago, there were still colored tube lights inside the ice, and the colors were limited but still breathtaking. When it switched to LEDs, it completely evolved. Proud of my hometown.

[LynneLynne]

About 20 years ago, I went there. The snow and ice buildings were so fantastic that I still remember the details after all these years. It was just like walking into a fairy world.

[cabbyw]

It's an amazing winter wonderland ! I would love to go to see for myself ! Thanks for sharing !

[xyyyyx]

A few years ago in South Africa, they got some of the Chinese ice experts from China to construct a similar feature only on a smaller scale at a local shopping centre in Johannesburg. We were given special jackets to keep warm as we do not all have these thick jackets in our own walldrobe in South Africa. They build an extra large enclosed freezer in the car park as the exhibition was in our peak summer season.

[lynnl.]

Thank you for visiting my hometown and sharing your experience! Northeastern China is known for its warm and welcoming people, and the magical ice and snow world. Harbin is also a city of music, you may try to visit it again during the summertime to enjoy the cool weather and the artistic atmosphere😊

[FernandoJamesFX]

THAT IS ABSOLUTELY EFFING MENTAL PEOPLE !!! THANKS FOR SHARING THIS EXPERIENCE LEE ! HAPPY 2024 !

[mcexplorer]

South Korea is inviting Chinese ice sculpture experts to help build its own ice world. A few years later, SK would apply for the UNECO heritage once they master Chinese skills.

[stevenng]

Happy New Year, Lee ! I am glad that you finally made it to Harbin Ice City. Thank you for braving the frigid cold to bring us the video. I can't wait to see the aerial photography taken with your drone tomorrow, I believe the video will be spectacular beyond words. Take care.

[baogiangtran]

Beautiful festival..thanks for sharing

[ngedmund]

Wow, it is stunning! It looks fantastic!

[thecomment]

Excellent. Not only the ice structures are spectacular but also the lighting is mesmerising. And yes this whole ice and snow area does look like a mini city.