Harbin kicks off annual ice harvest for sculptures(1/5)

The first block of ice was pulled from the Songhua River in Harbin, the capital of northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, on December 7, 2019 to mark the start of the city's annual ice harvest. A group of workers in traditional local costumes pulled out the first block at a ceremony launching the three-week harvest, representing a folk custom of ice collecting that has a history of more than 100 years. After the head worker read a blessing, the workers drank some wine and then started the work. The ceremony attracted thousands of residents and tourists despite the extreme cold and strong wind on the frozen river. Every winter, an avalanche of visitors from home and abroad descends on Harbin for the country's biggest winter gala-the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. (Photo: China News Service/Lv Pin)

The first block of ice was pulled from the Songhua River in Harbin, the capital of northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, on December 7, 2019 to mark the start of the city's annual ice harvest. A group of workers in traditional local costumes pulled out the first block at a ceremony launching the three-week harvest, representing a folk custom of ice collecting that has a history of more than 100 years. After the head worker read a blessing, the workers drank some wine and then started the work. The ceremony attracted thousands of residents and tourists despite the extreme cold and strong wind on the frozen river. Every winter, an avalanche of visitors from home and abroad descends on Harbin for the country's biggest winter gala-the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. (Photo: China News Service/Lv Pin)

The first block of ice was pulled from the Songhua River in Harbin, the capital of northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, on December 7, 2019 to mark the start of the city's annual ice harvest. A group of workers in traditional local costumes pulled out the first block at a ceremony launching the three-week harvest, representing a folk custom of ice collecting that has a history of more than 100 years. After the head worker read a blessing, the workers drank some wine and then started the work. The ceremony attracted thousands of residents and tourists despite the extreme cold and strong wind on the frozen river. Every winter, an avalanche of visitors from home and abroad descends on Harbin for the country's biggest winter gala-the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. (Photo: China News Service/Lv Pin)

The first block of ice was pulled from the Songhua River in Harbin, the capital of northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, on December 7, 2019 to mark the start of the city's annual ice harvest. A group of workers in traditional local costumes pulled out the first block at a ceremony launching the three-week harvest, representing a folk custom of ice collecting that has a history of more than 100 years. After the head worker read a blessing, the workers drank some wine and then started the work. The ceremony attracted thousands of residents and tourists despite the extreme cold and strong wind on the frozen river. Every winter, an avalanche of visitors from home and abroad descends on Harbin for the country's biggest winter gala-the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. (Photo: China News Service/Lv Pin)

The first block of ice was pulled from the Songhua River in Harbin, the capital of northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, on December 7, 2019 to mark the start of the city's annual ice harvest. A group of workers in traditional local costumes pulled out the first block at a ceremony launching the three-week harvest, representing a folk custom of ice collecting that has a history of more than 100 years. After the head worker read a blessing, the workers drank some wine and then started the work. The ceremony attracted thousands of residents and tourists despite the extreme cold and strong wind on the frozen river. Every winter, an avalanche of visitors from home and abroad descends on Harbin for the country's biggest winter gala-the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. (Photo: China News Service/Lv Pin)