A face from the freeze.

Here at the entrance to Harbin's Sun Island Theme Park, sculptors are putting the finishing touches to these individual snow and ice creations.

Now in it's 50th year, Harbin - the capital and largest city in Heilongjiang Province - is now world-renowned for its jaw-dropping Ice and Snow Festival.

Sculptures here take numerous forms, including this horse-themed creation, based on a painting by Chinese artist Xu Beihong (1895-1953).

Beihong is well known for his vivid horse portraits and with the Chinese Year of the Horse fast approaching, this sculpture marks the theme park's entrance.

Inside the Ice and Snow World, preparations are continuing with tourists treated to a variety of ways to enjoy the sub-zero temperatures, such as this giant snow slide.

The festival hasn't even started but Wang Lidan, a tourist from Shenyang province, is having a great time:

"The trip is totally worth it. I'm from Shenyang province, and it's my first time being here. It's fantastic," she says.

Unlike other winter festivals, Harbin Ice and Snow Festival doesn't just provide skiing, ice skating and the odd chance of a snow ball fight.

By night these massive, hand-carved ice and snow sculptures truly come to life for excited onlookers.

Engineering Supervisor of this year's Ice and Snow World Theme Park, Sun Xifu, says this year's park took a little over two weeks to build, making great use of a nearby river where all the ice is sourced:

"From the planning, design to ice collecting, construction and finishing, we only spent 15 days. With the special advantage of our mother river Songhuajiang River which provides us the ice, the ice we use is crystal clear," he says.

Ahead of the festival's opening on Sunday, tourists from all round the world have flown in to experience the ice decorations and winter activities here at Zhaolin Park.

Korean tourists, Lee Minzhi and Zhu Minying are taking this multicoloured ice slide into their strides:

"Hi, I'm from Korea. This is exciting to me," says Lee.

"I'm also from Korea. The (sliding) speed is really fast, but is also interesting," says Zhu.

"(The speed) was okay while I'm in the middle of the slide, but it went faster afterwards," says Lee.

Students from China's Northwest Petroleum University, Zhao Jingjing and Hou Ling, are also braving the slide:

"I feel pretty excited," says Hou.

"At the beginning, it was ok. And when it comes to the end, the resistance force was less, but more exciting," says Zhao.

"I'm happy enough (with the ice slide) anyway," says Hou.

Apart from creating a winter wonderland in the city's parks and resorts, the Ice and Snow Festival also consumes Harbin's city centre with ice and snow sculptures lighting up the Central Street.

This main street boasts notable European architecture - having been built by Russian settlers around 110 years ago.

Original cobblestones and Russian buildings are still preserved, and winter visitors are even offered the chance to feast on traditional Russian cuisine.

The Harbin Ice and Snow Festival officially opens 5 January 2014 and is expected to stay open till the beginning of March, depending on the weather.

During the festival, visitors will be treated to Winter Group Weddings, International Ice and Snow Sculpture Contests and an International Winter Swim Contest.

AP Television

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China - 2 January 2013

1. Wide of giant snow sculpture at the entrance of Sun Island Theme Park with people walking in foreground

2. Tilt up from tourist posing for photograph to snow sculpture

3. Wide of sculptors working on sculpture

4. Mid of sculptor carving on step ladder

5. Pan right of half completed snow sculpture

6. Close of sculptor carving snow

7. Wide of sculptors working on sculpture

8. Pan right of snow sculpture showing eight horses

9. Wide of Eight Horse snow sculpture with a mini bus passing in foreground

AP Television

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China - 3 January 2013

10. Wide pan left of Ice and Snow World

11. Mid of sunlight through the ice wall

12. Wide of workers carving ice bricks and cleaning

13. Various of man carving ice with tool

14. Wide of worker standing on crane

15. Wide of the crane and giant ice sculpture building

16. Wide of snow slide

17. Pull in of tourist sliding down snow slide

18. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Wang Lidan, Tourist from Shenyang province:

"The trip is totally worth it. I'm from Shenyang province, and it's my first time being here. It's fantastic."

19. Mid of tourists taking photos on smart phones

20. Mid of tourists posing for photograph

21. Wide of tourists walking through ice constructions

22. Pan left of Sun Xitong, Ice and Snow World Engineering Manager, approaching ice sculptures in Ice and Snow World

23. Tracking shot of Xitong walking through sculpture

24. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Sun Xitong, Ice and Snow World Engineering Manager:

"From the planning, design to ice collecting, construction and finishing, we only spent 15 days. With the special advantage of our mother river Songhuajiang River which provides us the ice, the ice we use is crystal clear."

AP Television

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China - 2 January 2013

++ NIGHTS SHOTS++

25. Wide of ice castle in Zhaolin Park

26. Mid of tourist posing in front of ice sculpture

27. Wide tilt up of ice sculpture

28. Pull out from tourist posing for photo to person holding camera

29. Close of horse sculpture head

30. Wide of horse sculpture

31. Wide pan left of ice slide

32. Pull focus of ice slide with tourists at top

33. Wide tracking shot of tourists riding ice slide

34. SOUNDBITE(Mandarin) Lee Minzhi, Zhu Minying, Korean tourists:

Lee: "Hi, I'm from Korea. This is exciting to me."

Zhu: "I'm also from Korea. The (sliding) speed is really fast, but is also interesting."

Lee: "(The speed) was okay while I'm in the middle of the slide, but it went faster afterwards."

35. Long shot of Chinese tourist Hou Ling sliding down slide.

36. Tracking shot down ice slide.

37. Wide of Ling riding down slide.

38. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Zhao Jingjing, Hou Ling, Students from Northwest Petroleum University:

Hou: "I feel pretty excited."

Zhao: "At the beginning, it was ok. And when it comes to the end, the resistance force was less, but more exciting."

Hou:"I'm happy enough (with the ice slide) anyway."

39. Wide pan left of colourfully lit ice sculptures

40. Long shot of people walking past ice sculptures

41. Low mid shot of ice sculpture

42. Wide of tourists walking past ice sculpture

43. Pull focus of ice decoration on Harbin Central Street

44. Wide pan left from man to woman posing next to ice sculpture

45. Wide of ice sculpture with pedestrians walking in background

46. Mid of ice sculpture

47. Long shot of people walking down Harbin Central Street

48. Low shot of European-style building

49. Wide of Harbin Central Street

50. Tilt down from building to snow sculpture.

LEADIN:

China's biggest ice festival gets off to a sparkling start.

Tourists come from around the world to see the Harbin Ice Festival featuring giant ice and snow sculptures.

STORYLINE:

Thousands of tourists are braving freezing temperatures to slip and slide on the ice at the annual Harbin Ice Festival.

The northeastern city is transforming itself into a winter wonderland when temperatures plummet to -20 Celsius and the Songhua River freezes over.

Outside a nearby pedestrian mall, sculptors and carvers are working to transform a giant block of snow into something very loveable.

Using scrapers, rakes, and other hand tools, workers chip away at the snow while crowds of shoppers watch. Among them is sculptor Ji Huailong, a native of Harbin who's experienced in making art from winter's precipitation.

But that experience doesn't mean snow sculpting an easy process.

"The most difficult parts to sculpt are the face and the eyes. We are carving Cupid so he has to look like an angel coming from the sky, he represents love," Ji explains.

"His features need to be cute, soft and harmonious."

The method for carving, however, has an established process.

"First some workers dig the ice blocks. Then we sculptors start carving the outline then the design. Then we use some specific tools to get out the details," says Ji, who has taken part in carving competitions before.

In 24-hours, what was mostly a giant cube of snow becomes a nearly-completed sculpture of the famous cherub. Ji and others put the finishing touches on it as tourists capture the cupid for themselves on camera.

Nearby, workers use forklifts to ease giant blocks of ice into place. They'll eventually be carved with chainsaws into giant snowflakes.

The workers use machinery and a little muscle power to guide the huge ice cubes around. They're cut from the frozen Songhua River, just a few blocks away, and transported to this street corner.

Elsewhere in Harbin, visitors are already arriving to check out the snow sculptures at the International Snow Sculpture Art Expo at the city's Sun Island Park.

The largest sculptures here are more than 10 metres tall, dwarfing Ji Huailong's cupid.

They attract visitors from far and wide, such as Tanvamon Pullapalin, a student from Thailand studying in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

"We don't have any winter in Thailand so I want to come here and enjoy the very freezing weather. Also they have the snow architectures, the ice palaces, so it is going to be very beautiful," says Pullapalin.

"Many Thai people would love to come here once in their lifetime to enjoy this moment."

But it is the Ice and Snow World that is the star of the show among Harbin's winter attractions.

The Ice and Snow World features sculptures, towers, and entire buildings made from blocks of ice. They're lit from the inside with coloured lights. The effect at night is a spectacle, and it's one that Zhang Xiongfei and his friend travelled from China's Hebei province to see:

"We are from Hebei province and we wanted to come and see what Harbin is like under the snow," explains Zhang.

"We heard that Harbin's Ice festival was really good, that it was beautiful, especially at night. We are university students and we just came to visit the Ice Festival."

It's an important part of northeastern Chinese culture, he added:

"The festival represents Harbin's own local customs and culture foundations," says Zhang. "It has its own ice sculptures and works of art. It highlights Harbin's local customs and the Chinese creativity."

Zhang and his friend were far from the only visitors getting an early glimpse of the Ice and Snow World. Braving temperatures as low as -20 Celsius, visitors wandered amid ice creations, slid down ice slides made of the slippery substance, and of course took plenty of photos.

The 16th Annual Harbin China Ice and Snow World officially opens on 5 January and runs through 28 February.

AP Television

Harbin, China - 3 January 2015

1. Wide of crowds skating on frozen Songhua river

2. Mid of couple walking and nearly slipping on frozen river

3. Tilt down of ice sculpture with girl posing for photo

4. Close of woman taking photo

5. Close of ice sculpture

6. Wide of workers carving cupid statue out of packed snow

7. Mid of sculptor Ji Huailong poking at snow with a rake

8. Pan left from crowds watching to sculptor Ji Huailong scraping snow

9. Close of sculptor Ji Huailong's hand scraping snow

10. Wide of sculptor Ji Huailong scraping snow with a small rake

11. Close of loose snow falling off sculpture

12. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Ji Huailong, ice and snow sculptor from Harbin:

"The most difficult parts to sculpt are the face and the eyes. We are carving Cupid and so he has to look like an angel coming from the sky, he represents love. His features need to be cute, soft and harmonious."

13. Close of sculptor Ji Huailong showing plans for the sculpture

14. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Ji Huailong, ice and snow sculptor from Harbin:

"First some workers dig the ice blocks. Then we sculptors start carving the outline then the design. Then we use some specific tools to get out the details."

AP Television

Harbin, China - 4 January 2015

15. Close of woman taking a photo

16. Tilt of up of workers on scaffold in front of snow sculpture

17. Mid of sculptor Ji Huailong working on the sculpture

18. Close of scraper moving along sculpture

AP Television

Harbin, China - 3 January 2015

19. Wide of workers moving blocks of ice into place with a forklift

20. Close of worker scraping the underside of a block of ice

21. Mid of forklift moving a block of ice

22. Close of worker pushing a block of ice

++ NIGHT SHOTS ++

23. Mid of shadows of pedestrians passing by a large snow sculpture

24. Tilt down of Tanvamon Pullapalin taking a photo amid large snow sculptures

25. SOUNDBITE: (English) Tanvamon Pullapalin, student from Thailand, vox pop

"We don't have any winter so I want to come here and enjoy the very freezing weather here. Also they say they have the snow architectures, the ice palaces, so it is going to be very beautiful. So many Thai people love to come here once in their lifetime to enjoy this moment."

AP Television

Harbin, China - 4 January 2015

26. Wide of large ice sculptures and buildings made of ice

27. Wide of a castle made of ice

28. Wide of large snow sculptures and towers made of ice

29. Mid of Zhang Xiongfei and friend walking past ice sculptures

30. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Zhang Xiongfei, student from China's Hebei province, vox pop

"We are from Hebei province and we wanted to come and see what Harbin is like with the snow. We heard that Harbin's Ice festival was really good, that it was beautiful, especially at night. We are university students and we just came to visit the Ice Festival."

31. Mid of child sliding down ice into camera

32. Wide of people sliding down ice slides

33. Pan right of girl sliding down ice slide

34. Wide of girl posing for a photo amid columns of ice

35. Wide of castle made of ice

36. Close of air bubbles in a block of ice, pull focus to spectators walking past ice sculptures

37. Mid of man looking through a telescope

38. Close of multicoloured lights illuminating an ice castle

39. Wide of spectator with towers made of ice

SHOTLIST(including transcript):-

AP Entertainment

Harbin, China, 5 Jan. 2016

1. Various of fireworks exploding above illuminated ice castles

2. Wide of Harbin Ice and Snow World

3. Tilt of ice castle

4. Various of ice castles

5 . Various of tourists walking around

6. VOX POP (Mandarin) Wang Chen, Tourist from Hubei Province:

"I am a southerner and this is the first time I've been here and I want to come back in the future. It's beautiful and there is a lot of fun to be had here. I am particularly excited about the fireworks tonight."

7. Various of ice pagoda and buddha

8. Various of tourists sliding down a slide made of ice

9 . VOX POP (Mandarin) Wan Meihong, Tourist from Fujian Province:

"This is so beautiful. Harbin is known for ice sculptures. I always want to come here and I traveled a long way to come here to see these ice castles."

10. Various of children and tourists

11. Various of ice buildings

HARBIN ICE FESTIVAL WOWS CROWDS

Tourists from all over China braved the freezing cold to visit a winter wonderland on Tuesday (5 JAN. 2016), as the annual Harbin Ice and Snow Festival kicked off.

The attraction features castles, towers and buildings created out of thick blocks of ice, which are illuminated after nightfall.

180-thousand metric tons of ice were used to create this year's Ice and Snow World - the focal point of the festival.

The north-eastern city of Harbin creates the attraction annually when temperatures plummet to minus 20 Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit) and the Songhua River freezes over.

Organizers estimate that over 1.5 (m) million foreign and domestic tourists will visit the Ice and Snow World this year.

The festival runs until 25 February.

SHOTLIST:

AP Television

Harbin, China - 3 January, 2013

1.Wide pan of snow sculpture competition site

2. Mid of artists working on their pieces

3. Close of a metal brush brushing on sculpture

4. Close of man brushing surface of sculpture

5. Mid of man on top of sculpture

6. Wide of men working on sculpture

7. Wide of men working on egg-shaped sculpture

8. Close of carving on snow

9. Wide of snow sculpture in shape of hands

10. Close of sculpture of hands

11. Close up of man's face

12. Close up of man's hand brushing on sculpture

13. Mid of man working on his piece

14. Wide of man and his team working on sculpture

15. Close pan on snow sculpture of masks

16. SOUNBITE (Mandarin) Lin Hai, Ice Sculptor

"The idea is a combination of the Chinese bronze and the mask of the western world. We want to show happiness, anger, grief and joy which are the four major states of feeling accompanying human kind, but our final purpose is to show our happiness."

17. Close of man working inside sculpture

18. Close of man's shovel shovelling snow

19. Wide shot of team and car-like sculpture

20. SOUNDBITE: (English) Liman Metolli, student from Nottingham Trent University:

"Ah yes it's brilliant! You've got to love it out here! Yes it is cold but you know you keep warm and stay warm, we've got good clothes. If we get cold we go inside, there's a place we can get inside and have some hot drinks. It's good. You just gotta eat a lot, make sure everything is covered. Just don't get frostbite, that's the important thing."

21. Wide of ice sculptures on Harbin's street

22. Mid of people walking by ice sculptures

23. Wide of snow sculpture of Korean pop singer Park Jae-Sang

24. Close and tilt-down on sculpture of Park Jae-Sang

25. Mid of young couple making pose of Gangnam Style in front of sculpture

26. Mid low angle of girl posing in front of sculpture

27.SOUNBITE: (Mandarin) voxpop, He Peng:

"I think it looks very funny and vivid. It adds a happy atmosphere to this extreme cold weather. I like it."

28.SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) voxpop, Zhang Yuli:

"I come from another province and it's a strange experience for me with the cold and I'm very interested to have a look around and see as much as possible."

29. Wide pan of Ice and Snow World

30. Close of ice blocks being moved

31. Wide of ice blocks being loaded onto truck

32. Close of ice blocks being loaded onto truck

33. Wide of loading of ice blocks

34. Mid of ice palace

35. Close of ice palace

36.SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Wang Zengyu, executive manager of Harbin Ice and Snow World:

"After 14 years of efforts, our ice and snow world has reached a world-class level as an amusement park with the theme of ice and snow entertainment. This year many internationally famous companies put their designed pieces into our park. This is a good evidence of what I just said."

37. Wide of sunset over snow land

38. Close shot of sunset

39. Various of lighted ice palaces and tourists in Ice and Snow World

40. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) voxpop, Yangxue:

"It's too beautiful here! I started to scream as soon as I got in and I could do nothing but scream! It's just too beautiful and hard to describe. I feel really excited in this innocent world of ice and snow."

41. Mid of tourists

42. Close of temperature meter

43. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) voxpop, Liu Xihe:

"You have to wear thick wind proof gloves and for the masks you should prepare several because after a while it gets wet and frozen on you face. One more suggestion, bring enough skin lotion with you."

44. Various of Ice and Snow World

LEAD IN

The Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin is by far the largest such exhibition in the world. It attracts tourists and professionals from all over the world to experience a blend of stunning nature and amazing handicraft.

STORYLINE

Harbin, located in the northeast China, is the capital city of Hei Longjiang province. With an average temperature of -25 centigrade (-13 Fahrenheit) in winter, has been known as the Ice City.

International Snow Sculpture Competition is one of the earliest and main events of the Ice and Snow Festival. More than 80 competitors from 11 countries are participating in this year's event.

Lin Hai, Ice Sculptor explains his creation.

"The idea is a combination of the Chinese bronze and the mask of the western world. We want to show happiness, anger, grief and joy which are the four major states of feeling accompanying human kind, but our final purpose is to show our happiness."

Instead of staying warm inside competitors chose to come out in the cold weather and create. This year's competitors have come from all walks of life - painters, decoration artists and even engineers.

Liman Metoll is a student from Nottingham Trent University in the UK.

"Ah yes it's brilliant! You've got to love it out here! Yes it is cold but you know you keep warm and stay warm, we've got good clothes. If we get cold we go inside, there's a place we can get inside and have some hot drinks. It's good. You just gotta eat a lot, make sure everything is covered. Just don't get frostbite, that's the important thing." he says .

Apart from the competition, the Ice and Snow World provides a place for tourists and competitors to relax and have fun.

The Central Avenue, built in 1898, is Harbin's most popular shopping and tourist area. Along the street, delicate ice and snow sculptures make a perfect finish to exotic buildings.

The most popular snow sculpture is a one of Korean pop singer Psy. He is seen recreating the gesture from his viral music video - Gangnam Style.

Tourists are competing to have a photo with snow Psy and do the Gangnam style dance in front of the sculpture.

Visitor He Pen says "I think it looks very funny and vivid. It adds a happy atmosphere to this extreme cold weather. I like it."

Zhang Yuli is also enjoying himself.

"I come from another province and it's a strange experience for me with the cold and I'm very interested to have a look around and see as much as possible."

The main exhibition is located at the Ice and Snow theme park by the Songhuajiang River and covers 75,000 square meters.

Wang Zengyu, executive manager of Ice and Snow World, says the amusement park has reached a world-class level and gained international recognition.

"This year many internationally famous companies put their designed pieces into our park."

The Snow and Ice World has cooperated with entertainment companies such as Walt Disney, 21st Century Fox and video game company the Angry Bird on an interaction system for visitors.

The park changes into a shining and dreamlike wonderland after sunset. Countless lights shine from inside the elaborate ice structures.

"I started to scream as soon as I got in and I could do nothing but scream! It's just too beautiful and hard to describe. I feel really excited in this innocent world of ice and snow," says Yangxue.

But visitor Liu Xihe has some good advice to those who intend to come and see the sculptures for themselves.

"You have to wear thick wind proof gloves and for the masks you should prepare several because after a while it gets wet and frozen on you face. One more suggestion, bring enough skin lotion with you."

A preview at the Ice and Snow World is open till January 5. Then Harbin's Ice Festival kicks off with an extravagant fireworks display and outdoor performance.

wacky

++RESENDING WITH CORRECTED DATELINE TO 2020++

CHINA HARBIN ICE AND SNOW FESTIVAL

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only

LENGTH: 7:40

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP Clients Only

Harbin, China – 5 January 2020

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Wide aerial of fireworks at Harbin Ice and Snow Park ++MUTE++

2. Tilt down from fireworks to ice sculptures

3. Wide of fireworks in sky above crowds and ice sculptures

4. Aerial tilt from ice sculptures to fireworks ++MUTE++

5. Fireworks erupting in night sky

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP Clients Only

Harbin, China – 4 January 2020

++NIGHT SHOTS++

6. Pan of tour bus to ice sculptures

7. Wide of ice sculpture of train

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP Clients Only

Harbin, China – 5 January 2020

++NIGHT SHOTS++

8. Mid of crowds milling around train-like transport vehicle

9. Wide of crowds and ice sculpture

10. Mid of people walking up ice stairs onto sculpture

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP Clients Only

Harbin, China – 4 January 2020

++DAY SHOTS++

11. Wide of tourists taking photos in front of snow sculpture of Year of Rats,"2020 Spring"

12. Mid of snow sculptures of rats

13. Mid of snow sculpture of rat giving thumbs up

14. Wide of snow sculpture of thermometer

15. Close of thermometer showing temperature as -15 degrees Celsius (5 Fahrenheit)

16. Various of workers sculpting and carving snow

17. Pull focus from snow sculpture of woman's face to red lanterns and snow sculpture of phoenix

18. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Chen Chen, Tourist from Shanghai:

"(At first) I thought it was boring to see the sculptures. (But) once I am here and become part of the environment, I feel different. The frigid weather and the snow only enhance the beauty of each one at this moment."

19. Various of couple taking selfies with snowman

20. Various of snowman and snow sculpture of phoenix

21. Various of tourists taking photos in front of snow sculptures along Harbin Central Avenue

22. Close of snow sculpture

23. Wide of tourists walking past ice sculpture on street

24. Various of ice sculpture of swan

25. Various of ice sculpture of train

26. Wide of main ice sculpture in Harbin Ice and Snow Park

27. Mid of main ice sculpture with snow sculpture of bodhisattva in background

28. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Wang Xiaoyu, Harbin Ice and Snow Park Designer:

"One of our design ideas this year is "traditional inheritance". You can see the elements of Western classical architectures were blended into our design. In the meantime, we have ice and snow entertainment facilities in the ice castles like slides, mazes (and) bikes."

29. Wide of slides behind ice wall, sign and flags

30. Tracking shot of man sliding

31. Wide of slides

32. Mid of tourists passing through ice archway

33. Mid of woman posing for photo in ice sculpture

34. Wide of tourists ringing giant bell on ice platform

35. Wide of ice castle against backdrop of sunset

36. Various of tourists riding bikes on ice and snow track

++NIGHT SHOTS++

37. Wide of illuminated ice sculptures and moon

38. Wide of tour bus and tourists on foot passing ice blocks and ice sculptures

39. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Wang Xiaoyu, Harbin Ice and Snow Park Designer:

"Since 2015, we have started using LED strip lights. The advantage of strip lights is the light is softer and not very dazzling. And it makes the whole piece of ice block bloom. This is an effect that traditional light bulbs cannot make."

40. Wide of ice palace

41. Wide of people milling around in front of ice castle lit in yellow and blue

42. Wide of tourists riding bikes on ice and passing ice castle

43. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Wang Xiaoyu, Harbin Ice and Snow Park Designer: ++DAY SHOT++

"The lights in each ice sculpture change together with tourists' interactions. For example, it changes with the rhythm of a bell ringing, and with music. Also, the ice sculptures in one area echo with each other to create a general effect."

++NIGHT SHOTS++

44. Various of changing lights inside ice blocks

45. Tracking shot of tourist walking through ice sculpture

46. Wide of ice park

47. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Chen Bailing, Tourist from Hebei Province:

"Here is a very famous tourist site in winter. I came with my parents. My father has never seen the ice lights, but he knows the ice lights are magnificent, so I want to show my parents what it looks like. After I came, I realized the lights are very beautiful indeed. We don't even want to leave. Although it is cold, we enjoy ourselves so much."

48. Pan left from tour bus to ice sculpture of train

49. Various of ice sculpture of train

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP Clients Only

Harbin, China – 5 January 2020

50. Various aerials of Harbin Ice and Snow sculptures ++MUTE++

LEADIN:

In China's northernmost province, a glittering winter wonderland built of ice and snow and sprawling across four enormous sites has been unveiled to thousands of delighted visitors and locals.

Each year, millions flock to Harbin to take in the annual spectacle, and the city's Ice and Snow Festival is now in its 36th year.

STORYLINE:

In the dark depths of winter in the northernmost province of China, a riot of fireworks and twinkling lights sparkle in the night sky.

Here, thousands are braving some of the coldest temperatures in China to experience an annual display that glitters and shimmers.

And it's all the more awesome when you learn how it's made: this extraordinary spectacle is built entirely of snow and ice.

The 2020 Harbin Snow and Ice Festival officially opened this weekend.

The event - in its 36th year - attracts millions of visitors from all over the world.

The festival sprawls across four sites, with the largest two the Sun Island Snow Park, and the Harbin Ice and Snow Park, both near the banks of north-eastern China's mighty Songhua River.

This year, the Sun Island Snow Park covers an area of 600,000 square metres.

110,000 cubic meters of snow has been used to build and hand-carve these structures.

In the main, the artists work outside, in temperatures that rarely rise above -15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit).

Here in the Snow Park, the sculptures - made from packed snow - tell a uniquely Chinese story.

There are rats - some giving the thumbs up sign - to mark the start of the Year of the Rat on the Chinese Zodiac calendar.

There's also a phoenix, carved from the snow: in Chinese culture, the phoenix symbolises femininity and grace.

It's displays like these that are winning over even the most cynical of visitors, like Chen Chen, who has travelled here from the much milder climes of Shanghai.

"(At first) I thought it was boring to see the sculptures. (But) once I am here and become part of the environment, I feel different. The frigid weather and the snow only enhances the beauty of each one at this moment," he says.

With its famously long, cold winters and its short cool summers, Harbin is known throughout China for its ice and snow.

Here on the city's Central Avenue, a shopping area famous for its Russian-style architecture, locals and tourists can admire ice and snow sculptures every few metres.

And it doesn't all come together overnight.

At the beginning of every December, local workers start the painstaking work of preparing the Harbin Ice and Snow Park.

They cut into the frozen Songhua River, and drag and haul large chunks of ice which are then shaped into all manner of structures, from castles to slides.

Wang Xiaoyu has worked for five years as a landscape designer at the Park.

This year, executing her vision took 360 hours, with 10,000 workers required for the job.

"One of our design ideas this year is "traditional inheritance"," she explains.

"You can see the elements of Western classical architectures were blended into our design. In the meantime, we have ice and snow entertainment facilities in the ice castles like slides, mazes (and) bikes."

Many of the attractions this year provide fun for visitors of all ages and interests.

Across the festival's locations, there are more than 20 games and activities on offer.

Adults and children are loving the ice slides.

There are also bikes of different sizes, that can be safely ridden on the packed snow and ice.

A key part of the spectacle as the daylight dims is the light display: for the past five years, Wang and her team have been using LED strip lights, which Wang says makes things softer.

"It makes the whole piece of ice block bloom. This is an effect that traditional light bulbs cannot make," she says.

And as the tourists cycle and walk their way around the park, their interactions with the displays have an effect too, Wang explains.

"The lights in each ice sculpture change together with tourists' interactions. For example, it changes with the rhythm of a bell ringing, and with music. Also, the ice sculptures in one area echo with each other to create a general effect," she says.

The glittering, icy spectacle is known throughout China, with families, couples, groups of friends and singles travelling here from far and wide.

Chen Bailing is here with her parents from Hebei province, in central China.

"My father has never seen the ice lights, but he knows the ice lights are magnificent, so I want to show my parents how it looks like. After I came, I realized the lights are very beautiful indeed. We don't even want to leave. Although it is cold, we enjoy ourselves so much," she says.

The ice festival was first held here in 1985.

This year, the event also includes competitions like ice swimming, skiing, and even a triathlon.

But for most visitors, it's vistas like this one that keep them returning.

====

Clients are reminded:

(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com.

(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service

(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.

LEAD IN:

The Harbin Snow and Ice Festival draws millions to China's icy north from all over the world to marvel at glittering towers and sculptures built entirely of ice and snow.

Now in its 36th year, the annual event includes ice sculpting, a swimming race across frozen water, and even a mass wedding - and it's proving more popular than ever.

STORY-LINE:

In the dark depths of winter in the northernmost province of China, a riot of fireworks and twinkling lights sparkle in the night sky.

Here, thousands brave temperatures that hover around -15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit) to experience an annual display that glitters and shimmers.

And it's all the more awesome when you learn how these structures are made: this extraordinary spectacle is built entirely of snow and ice.

The 2020 Harbin Snow and Ice Festival runs through until February.

The event - in its 36th year - attracts millions of visitors from all over the world.

The festival sprawls across four sites, with the largest two the Sun Island Snow Park, and the Harbin Ice and Snow Park, both near the banks of the mighty Songhua River.

This year, the Sun Island Snow Park covers an area of 600,000 square metres.

One of the key drawcards of the festival is the annual ice sculpting event, which this year attracted 60 sculptors from all over the world.

In the days leading up to the judging, the frosty northern air is full of the hum of chainsaws, drills and grinders.

Carving began at the start of the week (Monday 6 January 2020), and the sculptors had to be done by Wednesday (8 January 2020).

This event requires that entrants carve their designs from ice blocks taken from Songhua River.

Roger Wing is an ice and wood sculptor and competitor here, hailing from the US.

With his sculpture - a collaboration with Finnish artist Anssi Kuosa - he is exploring ideas of beauty and age: a witch looking into a magical mirror, seeing a beautiful face.  

He flattens the ice block with a nail plate before ironing it to create a transparent effect.

With 20 years of experience sculpting, Wing has first-hand experience of how carving tools and techniques have improved.

"Twenty years ago, there was only one or two carvers who are making figures, because it's very difficult to create human anatomy, human faces, human hands," he says.

"Only one or two artists were very good at it 20 years ago. But now we have all learned the techniques to get stronger and now many carvers can do beautiful figures."

Chinese sculptor, Zhu Rui, and his partner initially began ice carving as a hobby but went professional five years ago.

Here at Harbin they are creating an apsaras flying around the moon - influenced by Chinese dance and culture.

Chinese sculptor Wang Songyin is working with a variety of implements to create his vision.

Getting the angle right for this pointed detail is a painstaking process.

Here, Russian couple Vadim Polin and Luibov Polina are carving a Russian girl being lifted up by a Chinese dragon.

For them, the work is a tribute to the long history of relations between Russia and China.

"Our work is a Chinese dragon and a Russian girl. It represents the friendship between the two countries. It's a new world by combining them together," says Vadim Polin.

Across the sculpting area here, extreme care is being taken to add minute details to each work, which can involve hundreds of pieces of ice.

With the judging over, the works will stay on display here for two months.

Beside the Songhua River, competitors here are taking a plunge of a different sort at the annual ice swimming event.

Believe it or not, it's warmer in this ice-cold swimming pool than in the frigid air outside.

Crowds have gathered to provide support, as timekeepers carefully record the swimmers' performances.

The pool here is carved from the ice of the Songhua River.

All told about 200 swimmers from 42 teams are competing.

They hail from all over China, as well as some from Russia and the United States.

The swimmers are divided into groups, by sex and age.

There are events for the young, the middle-aged, and the old.

"It is really exciting! I hope more people can join us for ice swimming," says local swimmer Bai Ling.

"Ice swimming is cool! The more we swim the younger we become!" says her fellow competitor, local Zhang Xiaofeng.

As the swimmers make their hurried way to the finish line, the air temperature outside is a body-numbingly cold -15 Celsius (5 Fahrenheit).

That can make getting out of the pool a struggle, but thankfully friends or family are usually on hand to give the competitors some warmth once out of the water.

There's warmth aplenty further down the riverbank at the annual Harbin mass wedding.

This year, 43 couples are declaring their love and commitment to each other, parading along the riverfront promenade to the main stage.

Today it's -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit), so bridal gowns and suits are covered in warm winter jackets.

The couples have come from around China to share their special day, but not all are getting married for the first time.

Wang Shurong and her groom Wei Shuqi have come from a remote village in Heilongjiang province, and were invited here to celebrate their fifteenth wedding anniversary.

"The old days was difficult. It was not easy for most to wear a wedding dress. Life was hard. No one could get married in such a big occasion. We are very grateful and honoured," says Wang Shurong.

In unison, the couples recite their wedding vows, and exchange rings.

They promise to love their country, care for their parents and love each other for the rest of their lives.

In the Sun Island Snow Park this year, 110,000 cubic meters of snow has been used to build and hand-carve the structures that loom here in the icy cold sky.

At the beginning of every December, local workers start the painstaking work of preparing the site.

This year, executing the vision took 360 hours, with 10,000 workers required for the job.

Many of the attractions this year provide fun for visitors of all ages and interests, and across the festival's locations, there are more than 20 games and activities on offer.

The glittering, icy spectacle is known throughout China, with families, couples, groups of friends and singles travelling here from far and wide.

Chen Bailing is here with her parents from Hebei province, in central China.

"Here is a very famous tourist site in winter. I came with my parents. My father has never seen the ice lights, but he knows the ice lights are magnificent, so I wanted to show my parents what it looks like. After I came, I realised the lights are very beautiful indeed. We don't even want to leave! Although it is cold, we enjoy ourselves so much, "she says.

The ice festival was first held in Harbin in 1985.

While events like the ice sculpting, the ice swimming and the mass weddings lure people in, it's stunning sights like this that keep them coming back.

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 5 January 2020

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Wide aerial of fireworks at Harbin Ice and Snow Park ++MUTE++

2. Tilt down from fireworks to ice sculptures

3. Wide of fireworks in sky above crowds and ice sculptures

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 4 January 2020

++NIGHT SHOTS++

4. Pan of train touring ice and snow sculptures

5. Wide of ice sculpture of train

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 5 January 2020

++NIGHT SHOTS++

6. Wide of crowds milling around train-like touring vehicle

7. Wide of crowds and ice sculpture

8. Mid of people walking up ice stairs onto sculpture

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 6 January 2020

++DAY SHOTS++

9. Various aerial shots of Harbin Ice and Snow Park ++MUTE++

10. Wide of Ice Sculpture Competition area

11. Close of ice block with sculpture competitors working in background

12. Mid of American ice sculptor Roger Wing cutting ice block with chainsaw

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 7 January 2020

13. Various of Wing flattening ice

14. Various of Wing polishing ice with iron

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Roger Wing, American ice sculptor:

"Twenty years ago, there was only one or two carvers who are making figures, because it's very difficult to create human anatomy, human faces, human hands. Only one or two artists were really good at it 20 years ago. But now we have all learned the techniques to get stronger and now many carvers can do beautiful figures."

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 6 January 2020

16. Mid of clay sculpture with sketch next to it on ice block

17. Close of clay sculpture of a flying apsaras

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 7 January 2020

18. Various of Chinese sculptor Zhu Rui carving ice

19. Various of Chinese sculptor Wang Songyin carving ice

20. Wide of sculptors Luibov Polin (left) and Vadim Polin (right) working near ice sculptures

21. Mid of Luibov Polin drawing on ice sculpture

22. Mid of Luibov Polin and Vadim Polin working on their ice sculpture with drill

23. Close of drill

24. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vadim Polin, Russian sculptor:

"Our work is a Chinese dragon and a Russian girl. It represents the friendship between the two countries. It's a new world by combining them together."

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 6 January 2020

25. Various of Harbin Ice Sculpture Competition area

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 5 January 2020

26. Pan left from wide of four male swimmers diving into cold water to mid of two male swimmers doing breaststroke

27. Close of male swimmer in white swim cap doing breaststroke in cold water

28. Mid of two race referees recording swim times

29. Mid with zoom out of Bai Ling (left) and Zhang Xiaofeng (right) diving from blocks into cold water

30. Mid of Bai Ling winning race

31. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Bai Ling (right) and Zhang Xiaofeng (left), Ice Swimmers from Heilongjiang Province:

(Bai Ling) "It is really exciting! I hope more people can join us for ice swimming."

(Zhang Xiaofeng) "Ice swimming is cool! The more we swim the younger we become!"

32. Zoom out from mid of male swimmer in white swimming cap breast stroking to wide of swimmers breast stroking to finish line

33. Mid of young male swimmer climbing up ladder out of pool

34. Various of line of brides and grooms walking

35. Wide of couples walking by riverside

36. Wide of couples turning towards each other on stage

37. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Wang Shurong, bride (with groom Wei Shuqi):

"The old days was difficult. It was not easy for most to wear a wedding dress. Life was hard. No one could get married in such a big occasion. We are very grateful and honoured."

38. Various of couples reciting wedding vows UPSOUND (Mandarin) "I swear I will love the country, care for our parents…We will respect and love each other…We will understand and accommodate each other…We will love each other for the rest of our lives."

39. Mid of grooms putting rings on brides

40. Mid of couples hugging

41. Wide of couples waving with bouquets

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 4 January 2020

42. Wide of tourists ringing giant bell on ice platform

43. Wide of ice castle against backdrop of sunset

44. Various of tourists riding bikes on ice and snow track

++NIGHT SHOTS++

45. Mid of illuminated ice sculptures and moon

46. Wide of tour bus and tourists on foot passing ice blocks and ice sculptures

47. Wide of ice palace lit in yellow and blue with people milling around

48. Pan left of people on bikes in front of ice castle lit in yellow and blue

49. Wide of ice park

50. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Chen Bailing, Tourist from Hebei Province:

"Here is a very famous tourist site in winter. I came with my parents. My father has never seen the ice lights, but he knows the ice lights are magnificent, so I wanted to show my parents what it looks like. After I came, I realised the lights are very beautiful indeed. We don't even want to leave! Although it is cold, we enjoy ourselves so much."

51. Pan left from tour bus to ice sculpture of train

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 5 January 2020

52. Various night time aerials of Harbin Ice and Snow sculptures ++MUTE++

LEAD IN:

The Harbin Snow and Ice Festival draws millions to China's icy north from all over the world to marvel at glittering towers and sculptures built entirely of ice and snow.

Now in its 36th year, the annual event includes ice sculpting, a swimming race across frozen water, and even a mass wedding - and it's proving more popular than ever.

STORY-LINE:

In the dark depths of winter in the northernmost province of China, a riot of fireworks and twinkling lights sparkle in the night sky.

Here, thousands brave temperatures that hover around -15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit) to experience an annual display that glitters and shimmers.

And it's all the more awesome when you learn how these structures are made: this extraordinary spectacle is built entirely of snow and ice.

The 2020 Harbin Snow and Ice Festival runs through until February.

The event - in its 36th year - attracts millions of visitors from all over the world.

The festival sprawls across four sites, with the largest two the Sun Island Snow Park, and the Harbin Ice and Snow Park, both near the banks of the mighty Songhua River.

This year, the Sun Island Snow Park covers an area of 600,000 square metres.

One of the key drawcards of the festival is the annual ice sculpting event, which this year attracted 60 sculptors from all over the world.

In the days leading up to the judging, the frosty northern air is full of the hum of chainsaws, drills and grinders.

Carving began at the start of the week (Monday 6 January 2020), and the sculptors had to be done by Wednesday (8 January 2020).

This event requires that entrants carve their designs from ice blocks taken from Songhua River.

Roger Wing is an ice and wood sculptor and competitor here, hailing from the US.

With his sculpture - a collaboration with Finnish artist Anssi Kuosa - he is exploring ideas of beauty and age: a witch looking into a magical mirror, seeing a beautiful face.  

He flattens the ice block with a nail plate before ironing it to create a transparent effect.

With 20 years of experience sculpting, Wing has first-hand experience of how carving tools and techniques have improved.

"Twenty years ago, there was only one or two carvers who are making figures, because it's very difficult to create human anatomy, human faces, human hands," he says.

"Only one or two artists were very good at it 20 years ago. But now we have all learned the techniques to get stronger and now many carvers can do beautiful figures."

Chinese sculptor, Zhu Rui, and his partner initially began ice carving as a hobby but went professional five years ago.

Here at Harbin they are creating an apsaras flying around the moon - influenced by Chinese dance and culture.

Chinese sculptor Wang Songyin is working with a variety of implements to create his vision.

Getting the angle right for this pointed detail is a painstaking process.

Here, Russian couple Vadim Polin and Luibov Polina are carving a Russian girl being lifted up by a Chinese dragon.

For them, the work is a tribute to the long history of relations between Russia and China.

"Our work is a Chinese dragon and a Russian girl. It represents the friendship between the two countries. It's a new world by combining them together," says Vadim Polin.

Across the sculpting area here, extreme care is being taken to add minute details to each work, which can involve hundreds of pieces of ice.

With the judging over, the works will stay on display here for two months.

Beside the Songhua River, competitors here are taking a plunge of a different sort at the annual ice swimming event.

Believe it or not, it's warmer in this ice-cold swimming pool than in the frigid air outside.

Crowds have gathered to provide support, as timekeepers carefully record the swimmers' performances.

The pool here is carved from the ice of the Songhua River.

All told about 200 swimmers from 42 teams are competing.

They hail from all over China, as well as some from Russia and the United States.

The swimmers are divided into groups, by sex and age.

There are events for the young, the middle-aged, and the old.

"It is really exciting! I hope more people can join us for ice swimming," says local swimmer Bai Ling.

"Ice swimming is cool! The more we swim the younger we become!" says her fellow competitor, local Zhang Xiaofeng.

As the swimmers make their hurried way to the finish line, the air temperature outside is a body-numbingly cold -15 Celsius (5 Fahrenheit).

That can make getting out of the pool a struggle, but thankfully friends or family are usually on hand to give the competitors some warmth once out of the water.

There's warmth aplenty further down the riverbank at the annual Harbin mass wedding.

This year, 43 couples are declaring their love and commitment to each other, parading along the riverfront promenade to the main stage.

Today it's -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit), so bridal gowns and suits are covered in warm winter jackets.

The couples have come from around China to share their special day, but not all are getting married for the first time.

Wang Shurong and her groom Wei Shuqi have come from a remote village in Heilongjiang province, and were invited here to celebrate their fifteenth wedding anniversary.

"The old days was difficult. It was not easy for most to wear a wedding dress. Life was hard. No one could get married in such a big occasion. We are very grateful and honoured," says Wang Shurong.

In unison, the couples recite their wedding vows, and exchange rings.

They promise to love their country, care for their parents and love each other for the rest of their lives.

In the Sun Island Snow Park this year, 110,000 cubic meters of snow has been used to build and hand-carve the structures that loom here in the icy cold sky.

At the beginning of every December, local workers start the painstaking work of preparing the site.

This year, executing the vision took 360 hours, with 10,000 workers required for the job.

Many of the attractions this year provide fun for visitors of all ages and interests, and across the festival's locations, there are more than 20 games and activities on offer.

The glittering, icy spectacle is known throughout China, with families, couples, groups of friends and singles travelling here from far and wide.

Chen Bailing is here with her parents from Hebei province, in central China.

"Here is a very famous tourist site in winter. I came with my parents. My father has never seen the ice lights, but he knows the ice lights are magnificent, so I wanted to show my parents what it looks like. After I came, I realised the lights are very beautiful indeed. We don't even want to leave! Although it is cold, we enjoy ourselves so much, "she says.

The ice festival was first held in Harbin in 1985.

While events like the ice sculpting, the ice swimming and the mass weddings lure people in, it's stunning sights like this that keep them coming back.

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 5 January 2020

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Wide aerial of fireworks at Harbin Ice and Snow Park ++MUTE++

2. Tilt down from fireworks to ice sculptures

3. Wide of fireworks in sky above crowds and ice sculptures

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 4 January 2020

++NIGHT SHOTS++

4. Pan of train touring ice and snow sculptures

5. Wide of ice sculpture of train

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 5 January 2020

++NIGHT SHOTS++

6. Wide of crowds milling around train-like touring vehicle

7. Wide of crowds and ice sculpture

8. Mid of people walking up ice stairs onto sculpture

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 6 January 2020

++DAY SHOTS++

9. Various aerial shots of Harbin Ice and Snow Park ++MUTE++

10. Wide of Ice Sculpture Competition area

11. Close of ice block with sculpture competitors working in background

12. Mid of American ice sculptor Roger Wing cutting ice block with chainsaw

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 7 January 2020

13. Various of Wing flattening ice

14. Various of Wing polishing ice with iron

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Roger Wing, American ice sculptor:

"Twenty years ago, there was only one or two carvers who are making figures, because it's very difficult to create human anatomy, human faces, human hands. Only one or two artists were really good at it 20 years ago. But now we have all learned the techniques to get stronger and now many carvers can do beautiful figures."

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 6 January 2020

16. Mid of clay sculpture with sketch next to it on ice block

17. Close of clay sculpture of a flying apsaras

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 7 January 2020

18. Various of Chinese sculptor Zhu Rui carving ice

19. Various of Chinese sculptor Wang Songyin carving ice

20. Wide of sculptors Luibov Polin (left) and Vadim Polin (right) working near ice sculptures

21. Mid of Luibov Polin drawing on ice sculpture

22. Mid of Luibov Polin and Vadim Polin working on their ice sculpture with drill

23. Close of drill

24. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vadim Polin, Russian sculptor:

"Our work is a Chinese dragon and a Russian girl. It represents the friendship between the two countries. It's a new world by combining them together."

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 6 January 2020

25. Various of Harbin Ice Sculpture Competition area

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 5 January 2020

26. Pan left from wide of four male swimmers diving into cold water to mid of two male swimmers doing breaststroke

27. Close of male swimmer in white swim cap doing breaststroke in cold water

28. Mid of two race referees recording swim times

29. Mid with zoom out of Bai Ling (left) and Zhang Xiaofeng (right) diving from blocks into cold water

30. Mid of Bai Ling winning race

31. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Bai Ling (right) and Zhang Xiaofeng (left), Ice Swimmers from Heilongjiang Province:

(Bai Ling) "It is really exciting! I hope more people can join us for ice swimming."

(Zhang Xiaofeng) "Ice swimming is cool! The more we swim the younger we become!"

32. Zoom out from mid of male swimmer in white swimming cap breast stroking to wide of swimmers breast stroking to finish line

33. Mid of young male swimmer climbing up ladder out of pool

34. Various of line of brides and grooms walking

35. Wide of couples walking by riverside

36. Wide of couples turning towards each other on stage

37. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Wang Shurong, bride (with groom Wei Shuqi):

"The old days was difficult. It was not easy for most to wear a wedding dress. Life was hard. No one could get married in such a big occasion. We are very grateful and honoured."

38. Various of couples reciting wedding vows UPSOUND (Mandarin) "I swear I will love the country, care for our parents…We will respect and love each other…We will understand and accommodate each other…We will love each other for the rest of our lives."

39. Mid of grooms putting rings on brides

40. Mid of couples hugging

41. Wide of couples waving with bouquets

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 4 January 2020

42. Wide of tourists ringing giant bell on ice platform

43. Wide of ice castle against backdrop of sunset

44. Various of tourists riding bikes on ice and snow track

++NIGHT SHOTS++

45. Mid of illuminated ice sculptures and moon

46. Wide of tour bus and tourists on foot passing ice blocks and ice sculptures

47. Wide of ice palace lit in yellow and blue with people milling around

48. Pan left of people on bikes in front of ice castle lit in yellow and blue

49. Wide of ice park

50. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Chen Bailing, Tourist from Hebei Province:

"Here is a very famous tourist site in winter. I came with my parents. My father has never seen the ice lights, but he knows the ice lights are magnificent, so I wanted to show my parents what it looks like. After I came, I realised the lights are very beautiful indeed. We don't even want to leave! Although it is cold, we enjoy ourselves so much."

51. Pan left from tour bus to ice sculpture of train

Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China – 5 January 2020

52. Various night time aerials of Harbin Ice and Snow sculptures ++MUTE++

SHOTLIST:

AP Television

Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China - 5 January 2011

+++ NIGHT SHOTS +++

1. Wide, pan of Harbin Ice World with ice castles lit up in bright colours

2. Mid of roofs of ice castles with lights

3. Close of roof of ice building, tilt down to wide of ice architectures

4. Wide of top of ice tower, ice pillar in the foreground

5. Wide pan of ice buildings in ice park

6. Tourists wandering around ice buildings

7. Wide of tourists in ice park

8. Close of girl taking pictures of ice building

9. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Li Min, Tourist:

"These ice castles and world famous buildings are quite special and creative. They make me feel like I am in a fairytale world. "

10. Wide high shot of Harbin Ice World

11. Ice castles with laser lights waving behind, visitors in foreground

12. Wide of people sliding down ice slide from ice castle

13. Mid of person sliding down

14. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Lin Yongyong, Tourist:

"This place is really colourful, full of bright colours like red and blue... There are many people here and the atmosphere is great."

15. Wide of ice castles with laser lights

16. Mid of tops of towers

17. Mid of tourists in ice park

+++ DAY SHOTS +++

18. Close of worker breaking ice block into small pieces

19. Mid of workers carrying ice blocks

20. Wide of workers carrying ice down steps

21. Close of sculptor carving ice

22. Wide of sculptors working on ice sculpture in ice park

23. Mid of sculptor at work, silhouetted against the sunset

24. Wide of sculptors working on ice sculpture

25. Ice sculpting company manager instructing workers

26. Mid of sculptor working

27. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Qiu Guanghui, Manager, Qiuge Ice Sculpting Company:

"It is very cold here in Harbin this year, and the ice is very hard and it is more difficult to carve the ice and complete the designs."

28. Wide of ice castles at sunset

29. Ice castle rooftops at sunset

AP Television

Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China - 6 January 2011

+++ NIGHT SHOTS +++

30. Wide, tilt down of ice castles

31. Little girl posing for photos beside ice pillars

32. Wide of man playing with little girl in ice castle

33. Mid of tourists in carriage

34. Wide of carriage passing by ice castles

35. Wide of manager of Ice World being interviewed in front of ice castle

36. Close of tops of ice castles

37. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Zhao Hongjun, Manager of Harbin Ice Park:

"The Harbin Ice Park this year is very large in scale and it features ice architectures as tall as around 20 to 30 metres (65 - 98 feet). Colourful lights are getting more and more important for ice lanterns and architectures nowadays, we will try to employ more LED lights into our designs in the future."

38. Wide of ice castles with lights

39. Mid of castles with laser lights behind

40. Close of ice buildings with lights changing inside

41. Various of Harbin Ice Park with fireworks exploding above ice castles

LEAD IN:

Tourists are flocking to the world's biggest ice wonderland in Heilongjiang province, China.

This year the 600,000 square metre site boasts 10 themed parks and 50 life size buildings - all constructed from ice.

STORYLINE:

Fairy tale palaces and towering pagodas all carved from ice are among the sights at this year's Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in northern China.

'Dream World' and 'Fairytale Kingdom' are the main themes this year, and organisers say they've used thousands of extra lasers and LED (light-emitting diode) lights to add a touch of fairytale magic to the ice park.

Now in it's 27th year, the event attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world.

Organisers say they are expecting 1.2 million people between now and the end of February when the festival will melt away for another year.

"These ice castles and world famous buildings are quite special and creative. They make me feel like I am in a fairytale world," says tourist, Li Min.

"There are many people here and the atmosphere is great," says Lin Yongyong, a tourist from Guangdong province that seldom sees snow.

All the ice used to create the buildings and sculptures is taken from the frozen Heilongjiang River, the main waterway in Northern China.

Fifteen thousand workers spend almost two months building the ice works. They use around 18,000 cubic metres of ice.

Qiu Guanghui is the manager of Qiuge Ice Sculpting Company.

He and his team of 120 workers are behind many of the sculptures at this year's festival.

"It is very cold here in Harbin this year, and the ice is very hard and it is more difficult to carve the ice and complete the designs," he says.

The average temperature in Harbin this month so far has been around -28 degrees Centigrade (-18 Fahrenheit ).

Harbin is already billed as the world's biggest ice park, but organisers say that they are continually looking for ideas to make it even bigger and better.

"The Harbin Ice Park this year is very large in scale and it features ice architectures as tall as around 20 to 30 metres (65 - 98 feet)," says park manager, Zhao Hongjun.

"Colourful lights are getting more and more important for ice lanterns and architectures nowadays, we will try to employ more LED lights into our designs in the future."

Entry to the festival, which also includes winter sports competitions, is free.

A ticket to visit the sculptures costs 330 RMB (around 50 US dollars).

SHOTLIST:

AP Television

Kunming, Yunnan Province - March 23, 2010

1. Wide, pan of dwarf man dressed like "king" walking out of little "castle" in theme park

2. Medium of dwarf "royal guards"and dog walking to audience

3. Medium of audience watching dwarf performance

4. Wide of dwarfs performing to audience

5. Medium of dwarf actors performing hand language show named "A Heart with Thankfulness"

6. Wide, pan of dwarfs performing

7. Close of dwarf actor and actress performing

8. Wide of dwarves performing "Swan Lake"dance on stage with foreground of people watching

9. Medium, tilt down of dwarf dancing "Swan Lake"on stage

10. Medium of dwarf performing somersaults and asking audience for applause, pan to wide of audience

11. Medium of people laughing and clapping

12. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin), Wu Shuanghong, 21-year-old dwarf hostess of Dwarf''s Empire from Harbin:

"I think the most beautiful moment for me is when I am performing on the stage for the audience, because I get applause and recognition from them. We are not humiliating ourselves to get sympathy; Instead, we want to inspire other people with our optimism, strong character and confidence, and we want them to respect us. "

13. Medium of children touring in dwarf theme park

14. Wide of school pupils touring in dwarf theme park

15. Medium of children in dwarf theme park

16. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin), Zhou Zhenmiao, 9-year-old school pupil visiting Dwarf Theme Park:

"This is just so funny. There are so many little people here in the park, that is so funny..."

17. Wide of tourists taking photo with dwarf actors and actresses in front of "little castle"

18. Medium of tourists with dwarves

19. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin), Yang Fenxian, Retired worker and tourist watching dwarf performance:

"This is very interesting. These dwarves used to be discriminated and insulted by people, but now they are having a normal life here. They are treated as equal to ordinary people, and it''s so interesting to watch their performance here."

20. Wide of dwarves riding mini-sized scooters

21. Close of dwarves riding scooters

22. Wide, pan of dwarves driving away in scooters

23. Medium of dwarves leaving performance place for dormitory in shuttle bus

24. Wide of shuttle buses taking dwarves to dormitory after performances

25. Wide of dwarves washing clothes in dormitory compound

26. Close of dwarves washing clothes

27. Wide of dwarf couple washing clothes together

28. Close, tilt down of dwarf couple washing clothes

29. Medium of dwarf couple hanging clothes to dry on the balcony

30. Close of dwarf couple tidy collar of shirt

31. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin), Pei Jianguo, 39-year-old dwarf actor and his dwarf girlfriend Yang Juping:

"I think this park means a lot to us. It provides a platform for us to meet and get to know each other here and finally we got together..."

32. Wide of dwarfs making paper flower in "little castle" and theme park investor Chen Mingjing walking in and saying hello

33. Medium of dwarfs making paper flowers

34. Close of paper flowers

35. Wide of Chen chatting with dwarfs and getting paper flowers

36. Close of paper flowers

37. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin), Chen Mingjing, Manager and Investor of Dwarf Theme Park:

"In reality, this park is not an orphanage or a home for the elderly. I want them to realise their value of labour here, so they are actually presenting their personalities and talents by giving performances to tourists. People are watching their performances with respect instead of discrimination, that is why they got a huge round of applause. I think the park has made them integrated into the normal social life. In one word, we are providing these dwarves with a platform to work and realise their value of life, rather than using them to make money."

38. Wide interior of dwarf girls in dormitory

39. Close of dwarf girl playing games on mobile phone

40. Close of dwarf girl, pull focus to close of photo on table

41. Wide of dwarfs lining up to buy food from cafeteria

42. Medium of cafeteria workers distributing food for dwarfs

43. Close of people adding vegetables into bowl with rice

44. Medium of dwarf getting bowls of rice and vegetables and walking away

45. Wide of dwarfs carrying bowls of food and walking to dormitory under sunset

LEAD IN

In one part of China is seems that small is beautiful.

A dwarf theme park provides a home, a job and sense of worth to people of restricted growth.

STORYLINE:

They sing and dance and entertain the crowds who applaud each routine.

The performers are dwarfs (also known as ''little people'' in the USA or ''people of restricted growth'').

The show usually starts with a group sign language show named "A Heart of Thankfulness".

Dwarfs in different costumes say "thank you" to tourists in sign language.

Among the performances, a slapstick version of "Swan Lake" generates a great deal of amusement.

Eight dwarfs dress up in white tutus and perform their version of the classical ballet, and they add their own twist to the dance, such as somersaults, which are always a crowd pleaser.

About one hundred dwarfs live in the theme park in southwestern China''s Yunnan Province. It''s here that they regard as home.

21 year old Wu Shuanghong is one of stars the of show, dressed as Snow White.

She says the audience applauds because the performance is appreciated rather than it being a modern-day freak show:

"I think the most beautiful moment for me is when I am performing on the stage for the audience, because I get applause and recognition from them. We are not humiliating ourselves in order to get sympathy; Instead, we want to inspire people with our optimism, strong character and confidence, and we want them to respect us. " she says.

Zhou Zhenmiao, a 9-year-old school pupil visiting the Dwarf Theme Park says "This is just so funny. There are so many little people here in the park, that is so funny..."

His child like reaction is what many of the dwarfs here would normally encounter in the world beyond the park.

But visitor Yang Fenxian says that here the dwarfs don''t experience the same discrimination that they do in society.

"This is very interesting. These dwarfs used to be discriminated and insulted by people, but now they are having a normal life here. They are treated as equal to we ordinary people, and it''s so interesting to watch their performance here."

All the dwarfs employed here live together in the park.

Some of them ride mini-sized scooters and most of the dwarfs take shuttle buses back to their dormitory, which is far away from the tourists.

In their home they cook, clean and enjoy having some time to themselves.

39 year old Pei Jianguo used to busk on the streets or in bars in Guangdong and Hunan province to make a living.

He joined the dwarf park last October and acts as a "royal guard" in the dwarf show.

The park has provided him with more than just employment and a home, he has found a future wife in his fiance Yang Juping.

"This park means a lot to us. It provided a way for us to meet and get to know each other, and finally we got together," he says.

The park, which charges an entrance fee of $12, was created by entrepreneur Chen Mingjing a former peasant who made his fortune from real estate and electric metres.

The businessman came up with the idea of setting up a theme park for dwarfs when he met a child born with the medical condition on a train five years ago.

He says that the park provides a sense of belonging and purpose for people who struggle to find their place in society.

"In reality, this park is not an orphanage or a home for the elderly. I want them to realise the value of their labour here, so they are actually presenting their personalities and talents by giving performances to tourists. People are watching their performances with respect instead of discrimination, that is why they got a huge round of applause. I think the park has made them integrated into the normal social life. In one word, we are providing these dwarves with a platform to work and realise their value of life, rather than using them to make money."

It is also used by local government as an ''education centre'' to raise awareness of disability issues for young people.

Disability is still a taboo subject in some sectors of society in China, and opportunities for meaningful employment are few.

Chen has invested around $7.35 million US dollars to build the miniature world, covering 13,000 acres.

He plans to invest a further $23.5 million US dollars to expand for his Dwarf Empire and eventually hire as many as 1,000 dwarfs.

Salaries at the theme park range from about $175 US dollars to about $300 US dollars per month, depending on skill and ability.

Chen says he receives numerous applications for employment each week.

The Little People of America, which provides support for people with dwarfism, were not available for interview about the theme park. But they provided AP Television with a statement via email :

"The Little People of America supports the decision of people with dwarfism in China who participate in the Dwarf Theme Park. Everyone, in China and around the world, should be able to freely pursue opportunities to make a living. It is the hope of Little People of America to increase the number and the diversity of opportunities for people with dwarfism. Dwarfism is an important and rewarding component of who we are. But in China and elsewhere, we hope for more opportunities through which we are rewarded based upon our skills and talents, not based upon our physical differences."

wacky