It is ice-cold in Harbin, in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, but people's enthusiasm for playing in an ice and snow world is hot.

The 19th Harbin Ice and Snow World started its test run on Dec 18 and will open formally on Jan 5, 2018, offering people great entertainment.

There are four highlights of this year’s ice and snow world.

1: The largest ever ice and snow world

The ice and snow world was designed and built by well-known overseas artists and local architectural designers. It covers an area of 800,000 square meters, with the use of 180,000 cubic meters of ice and 150,000 cubic meters of snow. It is the largest ever ice and snow park to be built in Harbin, and the largest work of ice and snow architecture constructed anywhere in the world.

Combining light, shadow, colors and rhythm to give visitors a unique experience, the park has 10 scenic areas with different themes, including the Crown of Ice and Snow, Charming Bangkok, the Garden of Milan, Walking through Kunlun mountains, “Discovery in the Mediterranean Sea and the Ceremony of Moscow.

It highlights one area with the theme of a mobile phone game, the Arena of Valor, where the newest battle map and 10 characters from the game will be presented in the form of ice sculptures. The area was designed by Youhani Lierberg, chairman of the International Ice Sculpture Art Association.

Meanwhile, e-sports competitions will be held in the area to attract gamers, with a highest prize of 100,000 yuan ($15,200).

2: Rich entertainment

Harbin Ice and Snow World launches over 30 ice and snow entertainment activities.

In addition to traditional activities such as ice dragon boats and ice bicycles, new items will be launched to provide tourists with unique experiences. These include snowmobiles, snowfield speedboats and cycle races on ice. Tourists will also have the chance to ride carriages pulled by reindeer, dog sleds and horses in the northern ice and snow wonderland.

This year’s entertainment projects feature a 365-metre-long ice slide, and a 180-meter snow track.

3: Indoor activities

Although there are enough outdoor ice and snow activities to satisfy tourists’ expectations, the park has also launched many indoor entertainment projects, such as a cinema providing 6-D films, dancing competitions and various stage performances.

The most exciting projects are a penguin island and a bar in the theme of polar animals, which were jointly established by Harbin Polarland and Harbin Ice and Snow World. Tourists will have access to penguin performances and enjoy a wine in the bar while watching a recreation of a dire wolf and arctic foxes walking around outside.

Harbin Ice and Snow World has established a new parking lot to improve its tourist reception capacity. The new parking lot can hold up to 3,000 cars at the same time, providing convenience for tourists driving to the park. Information about the parking lot has been added to the Amap.

For tourists heading to the park by bus, a special route connecting the tourist center in Harbin and the Ice and Snow World has been launched.

The park has also set up two tourism centers to provide services such as medical assistance, free recharge of mobile phones, guide books and fast channels for booking tickets.

Visitors tour the ice and snow world in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, on Dec 18, 2017. Ice sculptures are illuminated in various colors, making the attraction into a dreamlike land full of colorful wonders. [Photo/People.cn]

 Buildings constructed with blocks of ice are illuminated with various colors in Harbin Ice and Snow World on Dec 18. [Photo/People.cn]

Ice buildings glow in the night at Harbin Ice and Snow World on Dec 18. [Photo/People.cn]

 Penguins entertain tourists at Harbin Ice and Snow World. [Photo/People.cn]

 Bingtanghulu, a popular snack in North China, are on sale in Harbin Ice and Snow World. [Photo/People.cn]