Harbin ice, snow world under construction, preparing for winter tourists

The iconic winter tourist attraction Harbin Ice and Snow World in China's "ice city" in its northernmost Heilongjiang Province is now under construction, setting to offer visitors with a splendid ice and snow-themed experience.

As a landmark outdoor ice and snow theme park in the city of Harbin, the Ice-Snow World is expected to open to the public in mid-December this year.

Although the park has not yet entered the ice construction phase, the eye-catching Ferris wheel adorned with snowflake decorations has already been completed. Designers of the Ice and Snow World are working tirelessly to finalize the project.

Cong Peiyu, director of the Design and Research and Development Department of the Harbin Ice and Snow World, said his team is in charge of the design of the whole theme park, ranging from the staging of the main performance venue, to the locations of the cell base tower.

"The design process for the entire project must be carried out in advance, and the project generally begins around May or June each year. We tick off items on our to-do list every day. Currently, about 80 to 90 percent of the work is completed, with only some adjustments and improvements to the details remaining," Cong said.

As the city will host the ninth Asian Winter Games in February next year, the Harbin Ice and Snow World will feature ice sculptures representing iconic landmarks from various Asian countries, according to Cong.

He also said the area of the theme park is expanding from 800,000 to 1 million square meters this year, so the volume of ice blocks used for construction will exceed 300,000 cubic meters.

In addition to the expansion of the area, the entertainment facilities of the park will also upgrade, aiming at offering visitors an even better experience.

"The main performance stage this year is larger than that of last year, with increases in length, width, and depth. Additionally, we are planning to create an ice and snow light show over there. As for the super ice slides, which had 16 tracks last year, will have eight more added this year," said Cong.

Harbin, with its cold winters, is celebrated for its annual ice and snow festival. The Harbin Ice-Snow World received an average of over 30,000 visitors daily last winter.

Harbin ice, snow world under construction, preparing for winter tourists

China calls on the United States to stop interfering in affairs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) as they are China's internal affairs, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian in Beijing on Friday.

Lin made the response at a regular press briefing when replying to a media query regarding a statement of U.S. State Department.

The United States announced on Tuesday that it would impose new visa restrictions on Hong Kong officials who implement the national security law for Hong Kong.

"The Chinese central government firmly supports the HKSAR in safeguarding national security and punishing activities that endanger national security in accordance with the law. We resolutely oppose the U.S. using specific judicial cases to interfere in China's internal affairs and smear or undermine Hong Kong's legal system. The U.S. should genuinely respect China's sovereignty and Hong Kong's rule of law, adhere to the principles of international law and basic norms governing international relations, and refrain from interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any manner. If the U.S. insists on imposing visa restrictions on HKSAR officials, China will respond firmly with countermeasures," said Lin.

China urges US not to interfere in HK affairs: spokesman