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The annual festival -

The festival originated in Harbin's traditional ice lantern show and winter garden party in the 20th century, but has since transformed into something much, much bigger.

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"Ice city" - Harbin is located in Northeast China and gets its cold winter winds from Siberia, Russia. The average temperature in winter is –16.8°C (1.8°F), though it's been known to drop as low as -25°C (-13°F).

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It requires a crazy amount of ice - The city is sculpted from 110,000 cubic meters (3.88 million cubic feet) of ice and 120,000 cubic meters (4.24 million cubic feet) of snow.

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It's enormous - The city spans over 600,000 sq m (150 acres) and includes more than 100 landmarks.

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A dazzling kick-off - The city transforms into a colorful, fantasy land at night, with fireworks marking the start of the two-month-long celebration.

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It's a very unique wedding venue - Not even the warmth of a newly bonded love could melt that ice. 

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In 2019, over 15 couples got married - The mass wedding took place against the dreamy backdrop of the festival's frozen fortresses—in freezing cold temperatures.

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This is not your regular winter wonderland - China is known for its over-the-top displays, but their city of ice is beyond impressive.

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Feel like an ice princess - Everyone gets to be Elsa from 'Frozen' in this ice city!

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It's hugely popular - The festival attracts over a million visitors each year.

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Ways to get around - There are several different parks and the city itself is quite large, so it's a good idea to hop on the adorable winter train. 

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Ways to get around - You can also enjoy a fairy-tale ride in a horse-drawn carriage. 

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Ways to get around - Or alternatively, employ a loved one to pull you around on a sled.

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A sign of renewal - This large sign in the center of the city reads, "New era in China."

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Better than fiction - It looks like the perfect setting for the home of the White Walkers in 'Game of Thrones.'

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Neon city - There are very few other places in the world where you can walk through a city lit up like this.

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Twilight transforms the city into crystal - When the light hits just right, the ice turns into the magical hues of amethyst, quartz, amber, emerald, and turquoise.

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Through the looking-ice - That enormous slab of ice is a feat on its own, especially when you find out where they get all the ice from in a few more clicks...

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Race your way - You'll reach speeds that snow-sledding could never achieve! 

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Slippery dips - There are five enormous and thrilling slides made completely out of ice.

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Plenty of activities - You can take hot-air balloon rides, swim in the freezing cold waters, and watch ice-sculpting competitions.

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2,019 snowmen - An army of 2,019 snowmen are on display on the Songhua River.

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The kids love it - It's every amazing and youthful part of winter combined, except leveled up with the manpower of many, many hardworking adults.

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Mimicking stained glass windows - It's almost a holy experience to walk through an ice palace like this. The grandeur surpasses regular brick buildings.

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How do they do it? -

Chinese workers use a machine to cut out large blocks of ice from the frozen Songhua River.

For weeks before the festival, workers collect and transport nearly 200,000 cubic meters (7.06 million cubic feet) of ice to the site.

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How do they do it? - Most of the cutters are reportedly farmers from nearby villages who start work before the sun rises, at bitterly low temperatures, and earn about US$35 per day.

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How do they do it? - Swing saws are used to carve the ice taken from the Songhua River into blocks. The blocks are lifted into place among a complicated network of scaffolding.

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How do they do it? - The lights are added, and what was once just ice becomes a masterpiece. They quite literally build the city from the ground up.

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Note the dark cityscape in the background - An aerial view of the ice city would surely put every other city to shame. A magnum opus that will never last.  

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Ice sculpture competition - A total of 16 teams from 12 different countries competed in crafting ice sculptures. All of this work, for something that will inevitably return to the earth.

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Ice sculpture competition - One artist etched the texture of wood onto ice, in a form of art that is so poetic in the way that it cannot be preserved.

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Snow sculptures -

This is from 2007, but every year the sculptures are just as astonishing as the last.

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