Countdown to the New Year

Carnival in snow

The theme park, in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province with snow sceneries and ice sculptures, will host events on New Year's Eve to provide visitors with everlasting memories, according to Xu Bing, marketing director of Harbin Ice and Snow World.

According to Xu, a rock concert and a breath-taking 3D-mapping show will be held at the park to coincide with the carnival on Dec 31. The climax would be a giant bell that would ring in the new year.

The snow world, according to Xu, was built to welcome the Millennium by the local government in 1999. "Grand firework shows and carnivals were held then for celebrations," she said. "That was the original form of new year countdown events.

"Harbin is growing into one of the most popular destinations for tourists enjoying snow scenery and winter sports, and we share the responsibility to bring more events to mark the new year," she said. "Last year, we had about 58,000 people celebrating the new year at the park."

A countdown party will also be held at the park, according to a post on its official website.

The party, themed on winter sports, will include shows performed by Russian singer Dima Bilan and figure skater Yuliya Lipnickaya.

Chen from Guangzhou said: "This is the first time that my family－my wife and 23-year-old daughter－is welcoming the new year at the beautiful snow world. It is like a fairy tale and will be memorable to us."

The snow world, which opened on Dec 23 this year, has an admission fee of 330 yuan ($50) per visit. Tickets for countdown shows at the park are sold for 160 yuan per visit and allows visitors to check in after 10 pm on New Year's Eve.