Frozen wonderland lit up at Harbin ice festival

The annual Harbin Ice and Snow Festival in the capital of the northeastern province of Heilongjiang is expected to draw more than one million visitors to admire castles and cathedrals sculpted out of ice and lit up at night in stunning colours. (Photo: AFP)

The event location features spectacular ice sculptures that are bathed in ethereal lights.

More than 10,000 people spent over three months building the winter wonderland at the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival in northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

The centre-piece of the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival is a 15-story tower of ice, thought to be the world's tallest.

Local authorities hope that the festival can bring much needed tourist dollars to the region, historically one of China's industrial bases, now hit by an economic slowdown.

Brave swimmers plunge into freezing waters during an ice-swimming competition.