In winter, two ice and snow sculpture competitions are annually held in Harbin. One is held in December 27-31, all the participants are Chinese. The other is known as Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Competition, which is held in January 6-9. All the participants are from all over the world.
The Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Competitions coincide with the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. The venues of the competitions are designated in Zhaolin Park, Stalin Park and the Sun Island. In teams of two, the artists chisel away at two-metre square blocks of ice in the hope of winning cash prizes.