10,000 workers will use about 200,000 cubic meters of ice stored for more than 10 months to create sculptures and structures, as the rivers have not yet completely frozen this winter.
On November 25, the world's largest ice and snow amusement park, Harbin Ice-Snow World, officially broke ground in Harbin city, capital of Heilongjiang province, Northeast China.
The park is expected to reach a record construction area of 1.2 million square meters this winter. Construction will begin three days earlier than last year.
About 10,000 workers will use about 200,000 cubic meters of ice that has been stored for more than 10 months to create sculptures and structures, as rivers have not yet completely frozen this winter, said Cong Peiyu, director of the design and development department of Harbin Ice and Snow World Co., Ltd.
The early start and use of ice reserves will help the park open as planned in late December.
Last season, the park attracted more than 3.56 million visitors in 68 days of operation (from December 21 to February 26).
Anticipating a higher number of visitors this winter, the park is planning to add new attractions, including hot spring campsites, snow soccer and other winter activities supported by smart tourism services.
Dubbed China's "ice city," Harbin has turned its long, cold winters into a tourist attraction.
Last winter, the city welcomed a record 90.36 million visitors, generating revenue of 137.22 billion yuan (about 19.37 billion USD), up 16.6 percent year-on-year.
Wang Hongxin, director of the municipal Department of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism, said that in addition to the Ice and Snow World, Harbin is promoting two other major winter destinations: the 1.5 million square meter Sun Island Snow Expo and the Songhua River Ice and Snow Festival, which will feature about 260 ice sculptures and 60 ice and snow entertainment projects, respectively.
The expansion comes as China pushes to develop its ice economy into a key growth sector.
In November 2024, the State Council General Office announced targets to develop the industry to achieve revenue of up to 1.2 trillion yuan by 2027 and 1.5 trillion yuan by 2030./.Minh Tam