Harbin, one of the northernmost cities in China, is the place for ice sculptures... but for snow sculptures, you have to go to Shenyang in the neighbouring Liaoning province. In recent years, the city has made a name for itself as a winter holiday destination with its annual International Ice & Snow Festival... and now officials are set to open a special snow carnival.

The ice and snow festival is drawing near, and preparations are coming to a close at Shenyang's Qipan Mountain, China's biggest skiing resort.

The snow sculptures for the festival are yet to be unveiled, and a snow terrace to host Saturday's opening ceremony is nearing completion. The one-month event will open with a grand parade on ice, a reproduction of a 17th century imperial tour of inspection where athletes will demonstrate traditional ice sports like figure skating and archery. The organizing committee says they will draw on the experience of the international snow festival in Shenyang's Japanese sister city, Sapporo.

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