Harbin Embraces Another Ice and Snow Season: Ice and Snow World Adopts Netizens’ Suggestions to Set Up a Visitor “Entertainment” Area

On December 2, according to reports, construction of the ice sculptures for the 26th Harbin Ice and Snow World began. As one of the landmark attractions of this year’s Harbin Ice and Snow World, the main entrance, titled “Shared Dream of Ice and Snow,” will welcome visitors from all directions with an open stance.

The design of “Shared Dream of Ice and Snow” is inspired by the theme slogan of the 9th Asian Winter Games Harbin 2025, “Shared Dream of Ice and Snow, United Asia.” The overall design of the gate cleverly integrates the forms of ice and snow, a heart, and dream clouds. With dream clouds as the link, the smooth lines intertwine ice, snow, and a heart, symbolizing the resonance and pursuit of Asian peoples’ dreams on ice and snow. At the bottom of the gate, the sports icons of the 9th Asian Winter Games Harbin 2025 are brilliantly presented in colored ice. These sports icons, visually robust, elegant, or passionate, vividly display the sports spirit of Asian winter athletes striving and continuously surpassing themselves against the backdrop of ice and snow.

The preliminary work for the ice sculptures in the 26th Harbin Ice and Snow World park is progressing in an orderly manner.

What new strategies does this year’s Ice and Snow World have to maintain the popularity of ice and snow tourism? The Paper noticed that earlier, a netizen suggested through the “Leaders’ Message Board” on People’s Daily Online that a small area in the Ice and Snow World be designated as a netizen activity zone, where those who want to participate can enter early.

In November, Harbin Madi’er Cultural Tourism Investment Group Co., Ltd. replied that they have always highly valued the ideas and creativity of tourists and netizens, and the suggestion was commendable. Regarding the proposal to set up a netizen “activity” zone, after studying its feasibility and specific implementation plan, they have created an exclusive zone for tourists to unleash their creativity and showcase their personality – the Ice and Snow Research and Learning Area. In this area, tourists can add more vitality and fun to the Ice and Snow World through various forms of activities and also allow more people to experience the charm of the fusion of ice and snow culture with creativity.

The reply also stated that they will continue to pay attention to netizens’ suggestions and feedback, continuously explore innovations, and bring a more diverse and unique ice and snow experience to everyone.

At the Harbin Ice and Snow Season series theme press conference on December 3, Luo Xin, Deputy General Manager of Harbin Ice and Snow World Co., Ltd., introduced that the 26th Harbin Ice and Snow World adheres to the concept of innovation, leadership, and breakthrough, with the theme “Shared Dream of Ice and Snow, United Asia.” The park’s design and construction will fully integrate elements of the Asian Winter Games, using a total of 300,000 cubic meters of ice and snow to create a more dazzling ice and snow-themed amusement park, adding splendor to the Asian Winter Games.

According to Luo Xin, this winter, all venues of the Four Seasons Ice and Snow Project will be fully operational, and the commercial services and restrooms in the park have been scientifically and reasonably arranged with additional restrooms, warm rooms, and heated shelters in the queue area for the big slides. In queue areas for attractions such as the super ice slide, ice and snow show venue, and snowflake Ferris wheel, staff will provide visitors with warm water, ginger tea, and other beverages. Meanwhile, park volunteers are always available to provide consultation and guidance services to tourists.

The Paper noted that Harbin has recently held three consecutive press conferences on the Ice and Snow Season series.

Among them, Wang Hongxin, Director of the Municipal Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau, introduced that after the passionate previous winter season, the new 2024-2025 Ice and Snow Season will soon kick off grandly. This year’s Harbin Ice and Snow Season will be held from early November 2024 to mid-March 2025, revolving around the hosting of the 9th Asian Winter Games in 2025, with the theme “Date with Harbin, a Warm World of Ice and Snow.” It will adhere to a broad vision, reflect internationalization, integrate multiple colors, and emphasize high quality, polishing Harbin’s city brand as the “Ice World, Snow Universe” and building it into a world-class ice and snow tourism resort and a highland for the ice and snow economy.

He said that this Ice and Snow Season will feature a series of tourism products and activities with distinct ice and snow characteristics, innovate the ice and snow tourism industry, optimize ice and snow tourism scenarios, and meet the new expectations of citizens and tourists. Events such as the 5th Harbin Ice Harvesting Festival, the 41st Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, the 26th Ice and Snow World, the 51st Ice Lantern Artistic Garden Party, the 7th Songhua River Ice and Snow Carnival, the 36th International Ice Sculpture Competition, and the 12th International Team Ice Sculpture Competition will be held to showcase the attractiveness of Harbin’s ice and snow brand activities. More than 500 ice and snow sports venues will be constructed in venues such as the Songhua River, urban parks, squares, school playgrounds, and inland rivers and lakes, offering popular ice and snow recreational products like skating, curling, and ice hockey, and organizing over 100 ice and snow festivals and competitions to continuously consolidate and expand the achievements of the “300 million people participating in ice and snow sports.” The experience of “the city within the ice scenery” will be enhanced by constructing ice sculptures and snow carvings at key locations such as main streets, city entrances, airports, railway stations, and major squares, transforming the city into a beautiful fairy-tale world of ice and snow.

This year’s Ice and Snow Season will focus on the 6 major events, 11 sub-events, and 64 competitions of the Asian Winter Games, as well as the “Exciting Harbin” test events and a series of winter sports competitions, connecting competition venues, ice and snow events, and ice and snow scenic spots to create ten boutique themed tourism routes for “traveling with the events,” allowing the spirited Asian winds to resonate once again in “Harbin.” Snow-based recreational products will be developed according to local conditions, enabling high-end skiing, sports competitions, and mass participation to complement each other. Events such as the 37th Sun Island Snow Sculpture Exposition, the Yabuli Spring Snow Festival, club opening ceremonies, the 5th Fenlan Snow Mobile Marathon, the 27th International Snow Sculpture Competition, and the 17th International University Student Snow Sculpture Contest will be held to integrate ice and snow sports, ice and snow athletics, and ice and snow tourism, further igniting the enthusiasm of citizens and tourists for winter activities. Efforts will be made to promote the upgrading and renovation of ski resorts, ski slopes, and supporting infrastructure across the city, and open 15 ski resorts including Yabuli Ski Resort, Yuquan International Hunting Ground, and Shangjing International. The three ski resorts in Yabuli Ski Resort will be interconnected, providing an experience and services that allow skiers to smoothly glide across 56 ski slopes in the “three mountains” with a single card, making it the preferred destination for winter outdoor sports in China. Large snow entertainment projects such as alpine snow tubing, snow carnivals, and snowmobiles, combining multiple snow games and activities, will be launched to meet the snow entertainment needs of citizens and tourists. Snowman viewing resources will be integrated across the city, and a series of snowman photo spots will be introduced in core areas such as Qunli Music Park, Dejia Dock, Sun Island Scenic Area, Harbin Polarland, Chinese Baroque Historical and Cultural Block, and Volga Manor, inviting citizens and tourists to have a snowball fight, build a snowman, and spend winter in “Harbin.”

This Ice and Snow Season will firmly establish the concept of “shared enjoyment by both hosts and guests” and “service first,” continuously strengthening efforts across the entire chain of “dining, accommodation, transportation, tourism, shopping, and entertainment,” enriching the supply of tourism products, deepening the integration and innovation of industry formats, and creating six new ice and snow tourism scenarios. New ice and snow cultural scenarios such as the Yabuli Ice and Snow Culture Exhibition Hall, the Pingfang Ice and Snow Culture Museum, and the immersive cultural tourism format telling the story of “Harbin” will be introduced; new ice and snow sports scenarios such as snowmobiles, snow carnivals, and fantastic ice and snow sports amusement parks will be launched; new ice and snow consumption scenarios such as themed characteristic streets integrating trendy neighborhoods, popular photo spots, joyful socializing, and leisure entertainment will be introduced; new ice and snow creative scenarios such as the “Harbin Gifts” creative store, the Penguin Ice and Snow Parade, the Asian Winter Games cultural and creative themed street, and the Xichenghongchang Ice and Snow Fashion Highlands will be launched; new ice and snow experience scenarios such as the China Eastern Airlines Asian Winter Games painted aircraft, the Snowy Land tourist train, ice and snow-themed buses, the ice and snow camping conference, and ice and snow mazes will be introduced; and new ice and snow food scenarios such as the Winter Ice and Snow Gourmet Month along the river, the Fishing Joy Carnival,