Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Beijing, December 11 (Xinhua) — A new winter landmark, a 23.8-meter-tall "Mr. Snowman," has appeared at the popular scenic spot on Taiyangdao Island (Sun Island) in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, according to a post on the Heilongjiang Daily newspaper's WeChat account.
The giant snow statue, nearly as tall as an eight-story building, was officially completed on Tuesday. Its creation took four days of intense work and approximately 5,000 cubic meters of snow. The snowman's height—23.8 meters, 3.8 meters taller than its predecessor last year—was chosen by its creators for a reason: the pronunciation of the numbers 2, 3, and 8 in Chinese can evoke the beautiful message of "love flying in all directions."
"Mr. Snowman," as his creators call him, has a humorous appearance. He wears a European top hat and a long red scarf around his neck. He also holds up two thumbs in greeting. He immediately became a new attraction for locals and tourists from around the world, many of whom take pictures with him or take impressive selfies.
"This is not just a gigantic sculpture, but a symbol of the openness and hospitality of the people of Harbin. With its humorous appearance and two thumbs up, the snowman seems to be giving a thumbs-up to a wonderful future, giving visitors a unique pleasure and joy on winter days in romantic Harbin," noted its creators.
A souvenir shop themed after Mr. Snowman has already opened in the square right next to Entrance No. 1 of the scenic area on Taiyang Dao Island. It sells colorful cultural and creative items such as toys, decorative lamps, brooches and pins, and refrigerator magnets.
As a reminder, Harbin has been making significant efforts in recent years to promote winter tourism, actively exploiting its ice and snow resources. Recently, a ceremonial opening ceremony for a festival of ice harvesting took place on a stretch of the Songhua River. The ice blocks will be used, in particular, to create sculptures for the city's iconic seasonal theme park, the "Great World of Ice and Snow."
In addition, every winter, popular tourist events such as the Taiyangdao International Snow Sculpture Art Fair, the Ice and Snow Marathon, and dragon boat races on ice are held here.
It's worth noting that Harbin is becoming increasingly popular among Russian tourists in winter. According to statistics, in the 2024-2025 winter season, Harbin welcomed 135 million tourists, of which approximately 6.3 percent were foreign tourists, a significant proportion of whom were from Russia. Industry experts predict that this winter, thanks to China's visa-free regime for Russian citizens, introduced in September, Harbin will see an even greater influx of Russian tourists.
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