BEIJING, Jan 5 : The 41st China Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival kicked off at Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, capital city of Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, on Sunday.
Themed “Dream of Winter, Love among Asia,” the festival offers visitors a diverse range of activities, some of which are related to the upcoming 9th Asian Winter Games, further enriching the festival’s cultural legacy, according to a press release the local publicity department sent to the Global Times on Sunday.
During the opening ceremony, Harbin Ice-Snow World was bustling with crowds.
Sun Zemin, a deputy director of the Sales and Marketing Department of Harbin Ice-Snow World Park Co, Ltd, told that this year’s Harbin Ice-Snow World is larger than it has ever been and features the greatest number of ice sculptures in its history.
According to Sun, the scenic spot covers an area of 1 million square meters and uses 300,000 cubic meters of ice and snow. The design and planning of this edition focus on the 9th Asian Winter Games, meticulously creating iconic landscapes from 42 countries and three regions.
Also on Sunday, the official song of the 9th Asian Winter Games, “Light Up Asia” was released. The song closely adheres to the theme of the festival, further promoting the vigorous development of ice and snow sports in Asia.
One of the standout events of the festival is the 41st public ice and snow collective wedding set to take place at the park on Monday. One of the key activities of the festival, this collective wedding tradition is the first wedding ceremony in China to use ice and snow as a medium.
Successfully held for 41 years, it has attracted 1,320 newlywed and anniversary couples from over 20 countries across the five continents, showcasing its international influence, the press release noted.
Li Chen, the director in charge of the event, told the Global Times that for this iteration, a total of 42 couples from 17 provinces and regions across China, including the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in South China and East China’s Jiangsu Province, are participating in the wedding ceremony.
“Many young couples nowadays prefer to have destination weddings, and this public collective ice and snow wedding offers them a unique experience. Many of them are drawn to the symbolism of ‘pure love’ behind an ice and snow wedding,” Li said, adding that in just over 30 days, the 9th Asian Winter Games will be held. The couples will hold the mascots of the 9th Asian Winter Games – “Binbin” and “Nini” – as they make their promises of love.
Su Xin, a local citizen, told the Global Times that Harbin, his hometown, is also offering many new travel products to attract tourists from around the world.
According to the China Ice and Snow Tourism Development Report (2025) released on Sunday, in the 2024-25 ice and snow season, the number of ice and snow leisure tours is expected to reach 520 million, with tourism revenue anticipated to exceed 630 billion yuan. The report also notes that during the 2023-24 ice and snow season, the number of ice and snow leisure tours was 430 million, with tourism revenue hitting 524.7 billion yuan. This highlights a significant stimulation effect in ice and snow tourism consumption.
Li noted that Harbin’s ice and snow tourism boasts a history of over 40 years, giving it a rich tourism foundation. The local government and residents’ emphasis and maintenance of their hometown’s ice and snow tourism brand have made Harbin a top-level destination for winter tourism in China.
“I can truly sense that an increasing number of locals are taking the initiative to contribute to the development of our hometown’s ice and snow brand. The atmosphere is incredibly harmonious,” Li remarked.
He further noted that Harbin is actively sharing its winter tourism expertise with other cities in China that are developing their own tourism models, adopting an “open and inclusive attitude.”
The China Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival is the first international festival in China’s history to focus on ice and snow activities and has become the world’s longest-running ice and snow festival. It is not just a festival but a symbolic event for Harbin’s winter tourism, attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists each year.
Follow the PNI Facebook page for the latest news and updates.
