"Ice city" brims with winter sports elements as Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics approach

Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, is dubbed "ice city" due to its cold weather.

A top winter tourist destination, the city now brims with winter sports elements in the run-up to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

These include Olympic-themed light shows, installation arts, as well as a range of ice and snow sculptures.

Aerial photo taken on Jan. 8, 2022 shows tourists having fun on the frozen Songhua River in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

Photo taken on Jan. 8, 2022 shows an ice sculpture that won the silver award during the 41st national professional ice sculpture competition in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

People visit the 48th Harbin ice lantern fair in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

Aerial photo taken on Jan. 2, 2022 shows tourists visiting the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)