On a frozen stretch of the Songhua River in northeast China, workers clad in life vests and boots battle biting cold to harvest blocks of ice for Harbin’s annual Ice and Snow World.
Each winter, crews brave sub-zero temperatures to carve enormous ice slabs for the festival, a major attraction in Heilongjiang province. The event draws tens of thousands of visitors to marvel at illuminated sculptures, including ice palaces and replicas of the Terracotta Army.
This year, however, a warmer autumn has delayed the river’s freeze, leaving the ice thinner than usual. Huang Wu, a 52-year-old veteran ice cutter, has spent 20 winters on the Songhua River. “By now, the ice is usually 57 or 58 centimeters thick,” he explained, “but this year, it’s only about 44 or 45 centimeters.”
Huang, like many of his peers, is a fisherman by trade, switching to ice harvesting during the winter months. His crew of eight works grueling 16-hour shifts, earning about two yuan per ice block and splitting the earnings equally. On a productive day, they can produce up to 2,700 blocks.
Precision is key. Each slab is carefully measured to 1.6 meters long as the team chisels in unison, guided by rhythmic counting. Once cut, the blocks are hauled onto motorized ramps, loaded onto forklifts, and transported by truck to the nearby festival site.
Despite the physically demanding labor, thinner ice this year has meant reduced earnings for Huang and his team. “Thicker ice means more money,” he said.
For first-time ice cutter Zhu Weizhong, the work is tough but better than idleness. “There’s little winter work in Harbin,” said Zhu, a father of three who also farms and does city maintenance. He earns around 260 yuan for each eight-hour shift, acknowledging that the labor is exhausting yet fulfilling. “You finish and think, ‘I’ve done so much today,’” he said.
While visitors delight in the festival’s vibrant displays, locals like Huang have grown accustomed to the ice. To them, this winter feels unusually mild, with daytime temperatures hovering above minus 20°C – a stark contrast to the bitter cold they expect.
As climate change affects weather patterns worldwide, Harbin’s ice harvesters persevere, adapting to the shifting seasons and preserving the city’s cherished winter tradition.
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