Big thaw hits Harbin ice sculptures in China

BEIJING: Ice and snow sculptures carved by nearly 10,000 artists in the city of Harbin have melted during a sudden warm spell, forcing the earliest closure of the main venue at China’s biggest winter festival. Daytime temperatures have poked above freezing in northern China’s warmest week this winter, prompting the closure of the Harbin Ice and Snow World after Sunday, more than 10 days ahead of schedule. “Of course, we do have a sense of crisis,” a park official said, adding that it was closed for safety reasons because the sculptures had started to melt. Some visitors who made bookings to marvel at mini ice replicas of the Colosseum and the Milan Cathedral were left disappointed by the early closure. The Harbin Ice and Snow World first opened in 1999. (Reuters)