The Harbin Ice and Snow World, expected to be one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city, is currently under construction.

The video was filmed in Harbin City in Heilongjiang Province on December 8.

After a ceremony and some wonderful performances of folklore, the workers are cutting giant ice blocks from the frozen river. Each block weighs hundreds of kilograms and has a uniform size of 120 centimetres long, 80 centimetres wide and 40 centimetres thick.

They use hooks to lift the blocks out of the river and drag them to the shore, where forklifts load them onto trucks bound for the Harbin Ice and Snow World, a world-leading theme park of large-scale ice and snow sculptures.

A tourist named Wu Wenqing said: "We came to participate in the ice-collecting ceremony of the Songhua River. We know that the ice is used to build the ice and snow world. We also look forward to the early opening of the ice and snow world, and hope that tourists from all over the world can come to Harbin to experience our ice and snow culture."

The 25th Harbin Ice and Snow World is expected to open for tourists in mid-December this year, a week earlier than usual.

The construction of the park is ongoing, with thousands of workers working on the site day and night. More than 250,000 cubic metres of ice and snow will be used to build over 100 ice and snow installations. It will present visitors with the largest-scale event in its history.

STORY: China's "ice city" prepares for tourist peak season
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 8, 2023
DATELINE: Dec. 9, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:57
LOCATION: HARBIN, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of ice collecting in the Songhua river
2. various of the construction site of 25th Harbin Ice and Snow World
3. STANDUP 1 (English): SUN XIAOYU, Xinhua correspondent
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): WU WENQING, Tourist
5. STANDUP 2 (English): SUN XIAOYU, Xinhua correspondent
6. STANDUP 3 (English): SUN XIAOYU, Xinhua correspondent

STORYLINE:

STANDUP 1 (English): SUN XIAOYU, Xinhua correspondent
"It's a bitterly cold morning. Now I am standing on the frozen surface of Songhua River, the mother river of Harbin, capital city of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. The river flows quietly under a thick layer of ice. Suddenly, the peace is broken by a harsh sound of saws."
 
After a ceremony and some wonderful performances of folklore, the workers are cutting giant ice blocks from the frozen river. Each block weighs hundreds of kilograms and has a uniform size of 120 centimeters long, 80 centimeters wide and 40 centimeters thick.
 
They use hooks to lift the blocks out of the river and drag them to the shore, where forklifts load them onto trucks bound for the Harbin Ice and Snow World, a world-leading theme park of large-scale ice and snow sculptures.
 
SOUNDBITE (Chinese): WU WENQING, Tourist
"We came to participate in the ice collecting ceremony of the Songhua River. We know that the ice is used to build the ice and snow world. We also look forward to the early opening of the ice and snow world, and hope that tourists from all over the world can come to Harbin to experience our ice and snow culture."
 
STANDUP 2 (English): SUN XIAOYU, Xinhua correspondent
"This year, we're going to embrace the 25th Harbin Ice and Snow World, which is expected to open for tourists in mid-December, a week earlier than usual."
 
The construction of the park is ongoing, with thousands of workers working on the site day and night. More than 250,000 cubic meters of ice and snow will be used to build over 100 ice and snow installations. It will present visitors with the largest-scale event in its history.
 
STANDUP 3 (English): SUN XIAOYU, Xinhua correspondent
"The 24th Harbin Ice and Snow World last year has attracted over 800,000 tourists to visit. We're looking forward to meeting more tourists this year in the winter wonderland. See you that time."

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