Harbin Ice and Snow World

Founded in 1999, the world's largest ice-and-snow theme park (800,000 m²), with ice usage on the scale of 200,000 m³; main tower viewpoint / Super Ice Slide (300 m+, the park's biggest queue draw) / LED-lit ice architecture at night; main venue of the ice festival (Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, opens January 5). Created in 1999 to greet the millennium, Ice and Snow World is now the world's largest ice-and-snow theme park: it covers 800,000 m² and uses ice measured in the hundreds of thousands of cubic meters, with blocks cut from the Songhua River built into pagodas, palaces and castles, while night LED lighting turns the whole 'ice city' into a fairy-tale world. The main tower stands at the center of the park, and the 300-meter Super Ice Slide draws the longest queues—its high-speed rush is addictive. The ice architecture is rebuilt around a new theme each year and peaks right when the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival opens on January 5. For about CNY 328 you get a feast of 'ice and light' in the -20°C open air; entering after 16:00 lets you see the daytime sculptures and the night lighting in one visit, and keeping warm and wearing non-slip footwear are essential throughout.

Getting there: Metro Line 2, Ice and Snow World Station (Songbei)