STORY: Ice, snow business in NE China adds steam to China's winter economy
SHOOTING DATE: Earlier footage
DATELINE: Jan. 10, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:05
LOCATION: HARBIN/CHANGCHUN, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Harbin Ice-Snow World
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): BIAN YUAN, Tourist
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZHENG SAN, Tourist
4. various of Chagan Lake
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WEI LAI, Staff member of Chagan Lake Tourism and Economic Development Zone
6. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): ZHANG JIANMEI, Tourist

STORYLINE:

The International Ice and Snow Festival, which kicked off Friday evening in Harbin, capital city of China's northernmost Heilongjiang Province, is adding steam to the country's burgeoning ice-and-snow economy.

At Harbin Ice-Snow World, built on the northern bank of the Songhua River which flows through the city, about 250,000 cubic meters of ice and snow have been transformed into appealing landscapes and sculptures. 

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): BIAN YUAN, Tourist
"The ice sculptures here are amazing. I took a lot of beautiful pictures. The scenery seen from the Ferris wheel was also very beautiful. I also watched the 'Harbin Ice Show.' The dancing and singing performances were great. It has been a fun day for me."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZHENG SAN, Tourist
"It's my first time to visit the Harbin Ice-Snow World. The scenery is fantastic. I enjoy my stay here very much and look forward to coming back again."
 
Harbin has abundant ice-and-snow resources, making it a popular destination for winter tourism in China.
 
The city welcomed nearly 3.05 million visitors, raking in 5.91 billion yuan (about 832.39 million U.S. dollars) of tourism revenue during the three-day New Year holiday.

In neighboring Jilin Province, the winter fishing-themed festival at Chagan Lake in Songyuan City has also seen a surging number of tourists from across the country. 

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WEI LAI, Staff member of Chagan Lake Tourism and Economic Development Zone
"This year, Chagan Lake offers a customized dragnet fishing experience. Tourists can not only appreciate the beautiful scenery of the lake, but also participate in the fishing and hunting activities."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): ZHANG JIANMEI, Tourist
"When I watched the fish jumping from the water, I was incredibly excited and felt the joy of a bumper harvest."

The provinces of Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang in northeast China were the country's major industrial heartland. 

The region is now looking to make a breakthrough in promoting the transformation of the economic structure with its rich ice and snow resources.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Harbin/Changchun, China.
(XHTV)