Why does Ice and Snow World only collect ice from the Songhua River?

Review expert: Zhu Guangsi, member of Beijing Science Writers Association

This winter, the atmosphere of "pampering" in Northeast China is particularly strong. With the arrival of the ice and snow season, a large number of southern tourists have flocked to Harbin for tourism.

Harbin Sophia Church is like Hogwarts Source | Weibo

At the same time, many hot memes related to southern tourists traveling in Northeast China appeared on the Internet, such as "Southern little potatoes bravely venture into Northeast China", "Southern mud transported to the north", "I'm not a child" and "Erbin, you make me feel strange".

Source | Weibo

In the Ice and Snow World, the "open-air wild entertainment", "ice slide" and the dream castle made of ice sculptures have deeply attracted tourists from the south, and even caused the tickets of the Ice and Snow World to be sold out at one point.

How did this ice and snow miracle that attracts tourists from all over the world come into being in such a short period of time? How did the ice sculpture masters create this dream world?

Source | CCTV News

1Where does the ice in Harbin come from?

Harbin's ice sculptures are of various types and themes. During the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival and even on the streets, various ice sculptures are unveiled, including large ice sculptures, small ice sculptures and decorative ice sculptures.

These ice sculptures are in various shapes, including animals, people, plants, and buildings. Through carving and shaping, ice sculpture artists turn ice and snow into exquisite works of art, which have also become a business card of Harbin.

Source | Heilongjiang Communist Youth League

According to incomplete statistics, Harbin City needs to use 125,000 tons of ice during the Ice and Snow Festival, mainly for making various ice sculptures and ice lanterns.

The ice mainly comes from the Songhua River. Ice harvesters collect the ice blocks using special ice harvesting equipment and techniques, and then transport them to various ice sculpture production sites via large trucks.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

During the ice harvesting season every year, a large team of ice harvesters, led by experienced ice harvesters, the "Ice Captains", harvest ice from the Songhua River to supply high-quality ice for the construction of the Ice and Snow World. High-quality ice must be crystal clear, without bubbles and impurities. Therefore, Harbin insists on harvesting ice from the Songhua River manually and does not use machines to make ice.

The Songhua River flows slowly, has clear water, and has a high degree of ice transparency. Moreover, since the river water is always in a flowing state, it can prevent bubbles and impurities from being trapped in the ice. This not only ensures the transparency of the ice, but also makes the ice uniform in density and less cracked.

Source: Interesting Manufacturing

On December 14, 2023, the ice harvesting work of the 25th Harbin Ice and Snow World has been fully launched. In order to ensure sufficient supply of high-quality ice, thousands of ice harvesters and nearly 500 transport vehicles are involved every day, and the daily ice harvesting volume reaches 10,000 cubic meters.

Workers stand on neatly cut ice floes, use circular saws to cut ice blocks, and then drag the ice blocks onto the ice surface manually. Ice harvesters carry ice on their shoulders and pull ice by hand, while ice trucks, forklifts, and shovels shuttle back and forth along the riverside... The entire ice harvesting work will continue until the landscape construction of this Harbin Ice and Snow World is completed.

Source: Banyuetan

Interestingly, although ice harvesting has extremely high requirements on ice quality and bubbles and impurities must be avoided as much as possible, fish can be seen from time to time in Harbin ice sculptures.

Nowadays, while watching ice sculptures in Harbin, looking for fish has become a popular entertainment activity. Netizens jokingly say: "Looking for fish every year, every year there will be a surplus." The high content of fish in Harbin ice sculptures has become a highlight of the Ice and Snow World, bringing everyone a surprise and blessing in the cold winter.

2How is the ice for Harbin ice sculptures preserved?

The ice sculptures for the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival were not entirely collected and made from the ice of the Songhua River in a short period of time. This year, 100,000 cubic meters of ice in the Ice and Snow World were stored a year in advance.

After the official construction of Ice and Snow World was completed last year, the organizers will wait for the ice layer to reach 60 cm thick and select ice blocks with higher integrity and thickness for storage.

Source: CCTV News

Ice is stored and preserved throughout the year for several reasons: First, to meet the demand for ice for events such as the Ice and Snow Festival. Harbin's Ice and Snow Festival is a world-renowned winter event that requires a large amount of ice every year for the production of ice and snow sculptures. By harvesting and preserving ice in advance, it is possible to ensure that there is enough ice available during the event.

Secondly, this allows the production of ice sculptures to be carried out in advance. Ice sculpture is a complex art form that requires skilled artists to work hard for a long time to complete. Preserving ice in advance can also allow the production of ice sculptures to start in advance and ensure quality.

Source: Zhengdian Finance

These ice cubes will be stored in ice cellars with lower temperatures, covered and protected with insulation materials, and regularly managed and maintained to ensure the quality and safety of the ice cubes.

Source: Weibo screenshot

At the same time, Harbin also uses a unique "multi-layer insulation technology", combining traditional ice storage methods with modern multi-layer insulation technology. First, an insulation layer is placed between the surface and the ice, and at the same time, sufficient "cold-proof quilts" such as thermal insulation cotton and straw are covered to preserve the ice as if it were covered in a large quilt.
Suitable storage conditions such as low temperature, light avoidance, heat insulation, and sealing keep the ice cubes below zero degrees Celsius at all times. Even in the summer when the temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius, only a small part of it will be lost. In order to ensure that the quality of the stored ice can meet the requirements of the building, many details must be paid attention to during storage: such as the stacking method of the ice cubes, moisture-proofing at the bottom, maintenance of the covering, and regular inspections.

Source: People's Daily

The decades-long ice sculpture production not only demonstrates the perseverance and persistence of the craftsmen, but also reflects Harbin's enthusiasm and tolerance. In this cold winter, let us encounter a frozen adventure together!

The new year's ice stockpiling activity has begun again.

Source: Banyuetan