The International Harbin Ice and Snow Festival held in Harbin

The International Harbin Ice and Snow Festival held in Harbin, in China’s northern Heilongjiang province, is set to open Thursday. The annual three-month-long festival attracts visitors from all over China as well as a number of foreign guests who brave below-zero temperatures to see colorful large ice and snow sculptures, ride horse-drawn carriages and enjoy a number of winter activities set up on the sidelines of the festival.More information about China Tours in chinatourguide.com

The Sun Island Park is the site of the Snow Sculpture Exposition displaying a wonderful snow world. It has the world's largest indoor ice and snow art museum and it opens to the public from November every year.
The festival lasts for one month, and features large ice and snow sculptures, ice lanterns, swimming in the icy Songhua River and more. The northern hemisphere is a hospitable place for ice festivals these days, so in that spirit, here is a collection of recent photographs of all things frozen, and some of the ways we live and play with ice.