- The enormous ice sculptures featured a whale spraying water from its blow hole and the head of a monkey
- The Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo Park in Harbin belongs to an annual ice festival
- Large crowds were expected around Chinese New Year for the festival in north-eastern China
Tourists in China have braved temperatures of -17C (1.4F) to visit a collection of stunning ice sculptures at the Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo Park in Harbin.
Taking in enormous sculptures which featured a whale spraying water from its blow hole, the head of a monkey, the Kremlin in Moscow and a person playing a pipe, the park is one of the attractions at the world’s largest ice festival.
Some of the braver tourists were also pictured cycling and sledding around the icy Sun Lake with some of the beautiful sculptures in the backdrop.
The expo park is part of the 34th annual Ice Festival in Harbin, north-eastern China.
The festival has been running since January 5 but crowds were expected to peak around Chinese New Year this month.
Last year the festival bought in 28.7 billion yuan (£3.62 billion) in tourism revenue for Harbin, with 18 million people visiting the park despite temperatures as low as -22F (-30C).
Ice sculpture artist Han Zhenkun designed his work based on the historic Silk Road.
‘Back then, through the Silk Road, exquisite art works from China like potteries were transported by camels and horses to the Western world,’ Han said.
The head of a monkey and a whale spraying water from its blow hole were among the sculptures on display at the Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo Park in Harbin
Two women pose for a picture by the door of a snow house, all white except for the Chinese lanterns decorating it
The women pose for another picture either side of the door, wrapping up in warm red coats to cope with freezing weather
Tourists wearing warm hats take a selfie as they are pictured speeding down the ice on brightly-coloured sleds
One of the most impressive sculptures on display at the Harbin park depicted a person’s head playing an enormous flute
Two tourists admire a sculpture of the Kremlin in Moscow, the home of Russia’s government, as they walk around the park
Tourists play on the icy Sun Lake at the snow sculpture art expo with a number of cartoon characters joining in the fun
These brave tourists are pictured riding along the snow, with the cyclist in front dragging a passenger behind him on a sled
More tourists are pictured playing on the lake, some of them in bicycles or miniature vehicles, with the Olympic rings among the decorations in the background