Harbin to host ice, snow festival

Harbin will host its 29th International Ice & Snow Festival from Jan 5 to the end of February.

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The festival, which will take place at the theme park Harbin Ice & Snow World, will include international ice and snow sculpture competitions, stage performances, music shows, exhibitions and a large-scale animation carnival. Visitors can also ski in the city's parks.

"Harbin has an abundant cultural heritage and a unique European style in China," said Song Xibin, the city's mayor, at a press conference on Thursday in Beijing. "The eco-friendly city also has a supreme landscape, which will never bore visitors. The whole city will be a scenic spot."

The annual event is known as one of the world's four major ice and snow festivals, together with those in Oslo, Quebec, and Sapporo.