Cutting ice for a festival of sculpture

Farmers brave sub-zero temperatures on frozen Songhua River for 20 days to supply winter gala with raw materials

Every winter, an avalanche of visitors from home and abroad descends on the city of Harbin in Heilongjiang province to join the country's biggest winter gala - the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival.

Up to 180,000 cubic meters of ice is expected to be used at the event, which features striking ice and snow sculptures.