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A Chinese worker takes a picture with his phone of ice sculptures he and others built in preparation for the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival on December 19, 2018 in Harbin, China. The annual winter festival, considered the worlds largest, officially opens January 5th, 2019, and runs for one month. The massive and detailed snow sculptures and full-sized illuminated ice buildings attract over a million visitors a year to the north-eastern city of Harbin, where the cold Siberian wind plunges the average temperature to -13 degrees Fahrenheit (-25 degrees Celcius). The elaborate ice buildings and intricately carved sculptures are made from blocks cut from the frozen Songhua River. For weeks before the festival, hired workers collect and transport nearly 200,000 cubic metres of ice to the site. Most of the cutters are farmers from nearby villages who start work before dawn at bitterly low temperatures to earn about $35 US per day. Blocks weighing up to 700 kilograms each are sculpted to different themes recreating animals and architectural wonders. Multi-colored lights give the structures a dazzling glow across the 750,000 square metre festival, which is marking its 35th year. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
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