Winter taking shape in Changchun

[Photo by Wang Jing/China Daily]

But the arguably tenuous claim as Saint Nick's place of origin ostensibly explains Santa's prevalence among the snow sculptures.

Jingyue Lake's thick crust supports not only the massive statuaries and crowds but also almost any form of transport you can take over ice, from dogsleds to camouflage military vehicles affixed with (fake) heavy artillery.

Horsedrawn carriages are towed alongside bouncing bumper cars, grumbling dune buggies and growling snowmobiles.

Visitors can skid over the ice on runners, wheels, hooves or paws, using motors, pedals or reins - you name it.

The festival's transport is as miscellaneous as its other activities.

Skiers who tackle the offshore slopes whoosh through hoary woodlands.

Many then warm up from the inside out over a slope-side hotpot restaurant's scalding cauldrons.

Savoring these searing vessels puts a fire in their bellies that fuels the fun, enabling visitors to relish the freezing outdoors without turning into snowmen.

It's one of the only festival offerings devoted to heat rather than cold. (Saunas and hot springs are popular ways to thaw out, too.)

Changchun Ice and Snow Travel Festival visitors discover its diversity of activities make the seasonal celebration as unique and beautiful as each of the countless snowflakes that produce it.