Yesterday at 10 a.m. 521-meter Super Ice Slides at Harbin Ice-Snow World officially opened for the season, unveiling its most spectacular edition yet, featuring landmark attractions, thoughtful services and magnificent ice sculptures across a record 1.2 million square meters of park area.
The Super Ice Slides retained its 24-lane layout and extended its longest track to 521 meters, while the 120-meter sky wheel also reopened, giving visitors a bird’s-eye view of every winter wonder in the park, according to Guo Hongwei, chairman of the Harbin Ice and Snow World Co., Ltd.
At the park’s entrance, dance and drum performances, along with cans of “First-day Ice,” were specially offered to welcome early visitors. Collected during Harbin’s previous ice-cutting festival, the ice symbolizes good fortune in local custom and quickly became a trending topic on Chinese social media.
The main tower, the tallest and largest standalone structure in the park, is shaped like the Chinese character for mountain cradled by snowflakes, symbolizing the country’s goal for a thriving ice and snow economy.
“The sculptures amazed me with their mix of Eastern and Western artistic styles. I’ve never seen anything like this, even in other countries, and it’s absolutely worth the visit,” said Huang Jianlong, a Chinese student studying in Britain who is currently enjoying his winter vacation.
“We are dedicated to offering visitors a grand ice-and-snow carnival with our winter resources and ever-optimizing services,” he added.
Apart from the free hot drinks and guided services, Guo said a 5,000-square-meter air-supported dome is now open in the park to offer visitors a warm retreat.
Harbin, called China’s “ice city,” has turned its long, cold winters into a major tourist attraction. Last winter, this capital city of Heilongjiang Province welcomed a record 90.36 million visitors, generating 137.22 billion yuan (about 19.44 billion dollars) in revenue, a 16.6 percent increase year on year.
Beyond the Ice-Snow World, Harbin is promoting two other major winter attractions: the 1.5-million-square-meter Sun Island Snow Expo and an Ice and Snow Carnival along the frozen Songhua River, featuring around 260 snow sculptures and 60 ice-and-snow entertainment projects, respectively, according to Wang Hongxin, director of the city’s culture, radio, television and tourism department.
Last winter, the park attracted a record-breaking 3.56 million tourist visits during its 68-day operation, boosting the market size of the ice and snow economy in Heilongjiang to reach 266.17 billion yuan, according to the provincial bureau of statistics.
China is positioning the ice and snow economy as a key driver of development and consumption, with its scale expected to reach 1.2 trillion yuan by 2027 and 1.5 trillion yuan by 2030.
Authorities in Harbin have also enhanced public facilities and services, including the construction of barrier-free access, upgrades to 26 tourist information centers, and improvements to over 70 restrooms across scenic spots.
