Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo

Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, the largest in the world, is mainly composed of two major venues – Harbin Ice and Snow World and Harbin Sun Island. Harbin Sun Islandhas annually sponsored Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo ever since 1988.

Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo (太阳岛国际雪雕艺术博览会) is an important part of the world-famous Harbin Ice and Snow International Festival. The Sun Island Snow Sculpture is often regarded as the largest snow carnival in the world. Planning your Harbin tour in winter? Sun Island Snow Festival should be on your sightseeing list.

When does Sun Island International Snow Sculpture start?

The Sun Island Snow Sculpture Art Expo officially starts on Jan, 05 and lasts about 60-70 days each year together with Harbin Ice and Snow World.

Not far from each other, a visit to Sun Island Snow Sculpture is often coupled with a tour of Harbin Ice and Snow World, which are connected by a public double-deck bus no. 29. The bus no.29 also brings you to Zhongyang Street, the most renown European style street oft-lauded as the Architecture Museum in China.Virtual

Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Tickets

Visiting Time: 2 – 3 Hour Entrance Fee: RMB 240 (Adult) RMB 120 (Child)

Children under 1.2m, senior citizens over 70 years old (with senile card), and the disabled (with card) are free of charge.

Opening Hours: 8:30 – 18:30

How to Get to Sun Island Scenic Area

Address: The annual Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Expo is held inside the Sun Island Scenic Area ( No. 3, Jingbei Road, Songbei District, Harbin )

Ferry: take ferry to Sun Island from Flood Memorial Tower ( at the northern end ofZhongyang Street)

Bus: Take No. 29, 80, 85, 88 and get off at Sun Island

Virtual Tour of Harbin Sun Island Snow Sculpture

Now follow me to visit Sun Island dotted with snow sculptures.

The theme of Sculptures changes annually, not what you see in the pictures here.

Basically each Sun Island snow expo has a dominant sculpture. Each year has a major theme for sculpture works of art and the year I visited was known as "绽放"，literally "Bursting into life", a huge snow carving over 160 meters long and 39 meters high, which was one of the largest snow works of art for the past snow expos.

Actually the dominant sculpture was a large piece of snow carving arts based on several phases of snow carving which can bring to visitors different visual enjoyments and unique snow carving experience.

The dominant "绽放" sculpture was a group of sculptures with Russian and Chinese elements – Russian buildings, holy snow, white swans, Longjiang Dragon,etc. This major sculpture was aimed at the booming development of Heilongjiang and China as a whole.

The dominant Sculpture at Sun Island Snow Expo

Snow sculptors are still putting the final touches on the huge snow works of arts.

The biggest breakthrough that year was the creative blend of Chinese calligraphy and snow engraving. Chinese traditional paintings and calligraphy were innovatively mixed, creating a new form of arts.

A special snow garden is allocated for showing the new form of arts – Chinese calligraphy and snow carving.

The snow-walled garden was rife with Chinese traditional Chinese culture – blur-color vases, writing and painting on the snow walls, and snow engraving on the walls as well.

Chinese traditional painting of galloping horses done on the snow wall.

Chinese painting of the Chinese gourd done on the snow wall

The Snow Village opposite the dominant "绽放" sculpture was typical of a Northern China village in snow season.

A close-up view of the door front of a village house.

The whole island was scattered with snow carvings which mainly fall into three categories – Sculptures by Expo Snow Artists; sculptures selected from College competitions and finally from the national competitions.

Let’s have a glimpse of the sculptures done by the expo snow artists.

The sculpture named "Peace". The winged Victory of Samothrace which washolding an olive branch and spreading wings, shows people’s expectation for peace.

Ark of Happiness

Kingdom of Minions

The Gift of the Apple

Pigtails. In symmetrical way, it shape eastern traditional beauty of pigtails with her hands under her cheeks.