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Get to the heart of the matter with news on our city, Hong Kong
Expand your world view with China insights and our unique perspective of Asian news
Expand your world view with China insights and our unique perspective of Asian news
Subscribe

Something new: Winter wonderland

Olivia Rosenman

Published:

Updated:


As the rugged Eddard Stark so often says in fantasy television show Game of Thrones, "Winter is coming."

But unlike the members of House Stark, Hongkongers should not fear the cold spell: our early winter is coming in the form of the achingly cool inaugural Hong Kong Harbin Ice Festival.

Inspired by the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival - the largest of its kind in the world and which has been running in that freezing northern extremity of the mainland, Heilongjiang province, for nearly 30 years - the event's organisers are ready to put a shiver down Hong Kong's spine.

Tai Tong in Yuen Long will be transformed into a winter wonderland. The Ice Exhibition Hall, spread over more than 900 square metres, will display ice sculptures inspired by animals of the Ice Age and amusement parks, as well as ice slides and igloos, created by Lau Hingwan.

Lau began his ice-sculpting career at the Harbin festival more than three decades ago and has showcased his work around the world, from Japan's Sapporo Snow Festival to Canada's Quebec Winter Carnival and Norway's Ski Festival.

Japanese lighting designer Ashiki Hirotaka will be illuminating the creations in Hong Kong.

Make sure you dress for the (artificial) weather - it's going to be minus-10 degrees Celsius inside - so you're not too cold to sit on the ice seats, drink from ice coffee cups and try out the 13-metre-long ice slide.

The festival begins on Wednesday and runs until January 4. It will open weekdays from 11am to 8pm, and weekends and public holidays from 10am to 9pm. For details, click here

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As the rugged Eddard Stark so often says in fantasy television show Game of Thrones, "Winter is coming."

But unlike the members of House Stark, Hongkongers should not fear the cold spell: our early winter is coming in the form of the achingly cool inaugural Hong Kong Harbin Ice Festival.


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