Harbin International Ice & Snow Festival is an annual grant festival during winter. This 11th Harbin Ice Festival opened its door on 24th December 2009, with 20% discount off the ticket price RMB200 per adult, before the official opening on 5th January 2010. It was freaking cold at the site when I was there on Christmas day, might be as low as minus 30 degree Celsius. We spent about 2 hours there walking around, had fun with the giant ice slopes. Every 20 minutes or half an hour or so we gotta get our feet warm at the coffee houses which charged ridiculously price of RMB20 for a cup of tea/coffee. Although the site was not fully complete when we were there, we still able to see lots of the magnificent ice sculptures. Camera battery ran out really fast at such cold places but luckily I snapped enough pictures before my camera ran flat. Another note for those travelling by taxi, the taxi drivers in Harbin mostly do not follow meter and tends to ask for double, triple or even higher price for a short trip. We paid like RMB100 for a trip from the city to the site which normally costs RMB30. Well it was still a ton of fun to see so much snow & ice in winter!