Sculptures from this international ice and snow festival are mind-boggling

The world’s largest ice festival began this week in Harbin, a city in the northeastern part of China.

The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival goes through late February and features thousands of ice sculptures. The most spectacular of these works are the massive and elaborate recreations of castles, historic landmarks and famous figures, lit up at night in dazzling bright colors.

Eighteen million people attended last year’s festival. This year, besides subzero temperatures, attendees can expect an ice replica of Moscow’s Red Square and Bangkok’s Temple of the Emerald Buddha, as well as works by artist Han Zhenkun based on the country’s famous Silk Road.

Here are some photos of the eye-catching festival as it kicks off.

  • This article originally appeared on HuffPost.

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