International sculptors get creative at China’s ice festival

STORY: :: International sculptors get creative with ‘aurora’ and ‘shaman’ designs at China ice festival

:: January 4, 2025

:: Harbin, China

:: Shi Lei, ice sculptor from Suzhou City

:: “We first attended in 2006. Over the last decade or so, we have attended most of the years when we had the time. Coming here is always a great experience because we treat it like a vacation, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to exchange ideas with artists from all over the world.”

:: Nikolai Petrov, ice sculptor from Yakutsk, Russia

:: “(We believe in) shamanism, tengrism (faith), so that’s why we build a shaman (practitioner) that communicates with the cosmos. And the drum (used in shamanism) is like the sun. The drum is the sun (actually). And when the shaman (practitioner) comes out, it shows its totems and communicates with the cosmos.”

:: January 6, 2025

:: Bertin Pauline, ice sculptor from France

:: “The sculpture (Aurora Borealis) is a representation of a planetary view that will be located at the top and bottom (of the sculpture) where we will also sculpt a moon (element). Then we will create movements to represent the Northern Lights (an aurora that occurs in the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere) that can be observed at the North Pole.”

The competitions took place in Harbin, in China’s Heilongjiang province, known for its ice festival, which draws thousands of visitors annually. Winter temperatures in Harbin can drop as low as -31 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius).

Ten countries consisting of 20 or more teams participate in the snow show.

The competitions are part of the annual Ice and Snow Festival, with the theme “Shared Dreams of Ice and Snow, United Hearts in Asia,” incorporating elements of the 9th Asian Winter Games, which will be held in Harbin from February 7 to 14 .February.