Construction of a 23.8-meter-high snowman has begun as part of preparations for the upcoming 38th Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Expo in Harbin, the capital city of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Snow sculptors estimate that building "Mr. Snowman", one of the most attractive art works of the expo, will take three to four days and require roughly 5,000 cubic meters of snow. Covering an area of 1.5 million square meters, this year's expo will feature more than 260 snow sculptures. To enhance the visitor experience, 3D modeling has been applied in the design of snow sculptures. The expo is expected to last until February the next year. All sculptures are expected to be completed by mid-to-late December. Shotlist: Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, northeast China - Recent: 1. Interior of Sun Island Scenic Area; 2. Various of giant snowman being created; 3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Peng, snow sculptor: "The main challenge in creating 'Mr. Snowman' lies in maintaining the proportions in its overall structure. Given its massive scale, sculptors must continuously adjust their work throughout the carving process to ensure proper proportionality."; 4. Various of snow sculptors at work; 5. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Fan Jingrui, deputy director, Engineering Management Department, Sun Island Scenic Area: "We now need to develop a 3D model for each snow sculpture to ensure that the final work precisely matches its design. From a safety standpoint, these models enable us to make more precise calculations regarding the sculptures' safety and stability, and therefore enhance their durability."; 6. Various of snow sculptors at work. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]