Carving out a new existence

Snow sculpting has proved life-changing for some participants in Harbin's annual festival

After completing a 300-meter-long snow sculpture, the first thing Zhou Yanzhi did was take a photo and send it to his wife and daughter.

"My daughter is preparing for the college entrance examination in June, so she has no time to travel here from my hometown in Changchun, Jilin province," Zhou said. "However, I hope they can be the first to appreciate my work."

Zhou, 42, finished the main snow sculpture at the 30th China Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo with his teammates after 10 days of hard work outdoors in the extremely cold winter in Harbin, Heilongjiang province.

At the beginning of December, a 100-member team gathered in Harbin - from Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region - to spend about three weeks at the expo, which runs from Dec 20 to Feb 28 and is one of the most important parts of the city's ice and snow festival.

During the rest of the year, the participants make a living from farming, small businesses or carving, and, for most, this is not the first time they have attended the event.

"In most parts of China, it's not cold enough to create snow sculptures outside, but in Harbin, there is snow for more than a third of the year," he said. "Usually we work outdoors for 10 hours a day from the early morning to sunset, but I enjoy every minute.

"I feel lucky that I have the chance to contribute to the biggest snow sculpture ever created at the expo," Zhou added. "It's no exaggeration to say snow sculpture has changed my life."

Before 2001, Zhou made a living from farming in a village 100 kilometers from Changchun. In his spare time, he enjoyed carving wood after learning some of the basic techniques from his elder brother who ran an arts and crafts shop in Harbin.

"In the winter of 2001, I got the chance to learn from an excellent snow sculptor," he said. "However, snow sculpture is different from wood carving and it requires more complicated skills and more tools."

In his first year, his only task was to remove the redundant snow left by the sculptors.

"Even though I had no opportunity to use any professional tools, I observed the sculptors carefully," he said.

His attention helped him become skilled quickly, and now he is one of the best snow sculptors in the team.