Carvings

Zhangyang Street is another major focus of the Harbin Ice Festival.
I tried to get a terrier to pose next to this ice sculpture of a gramophone, but he was having none of it.
This one is a reminder of the cruel effect temperature has on acoustic guitars.I saw a couple walk by this one.  The guy looked confused.  His girlfriend said “爱” (love) without breaking stride and jest kept walking.
Reindeer-drawn sleigh.In anticipation of the upcoming Chinese Year of the Monkey, this ice sculpture allows you to imagine punching your fist through two monkey’s faces!
Ice blocks carved by Gummi artisans who work exclusively in the medium of Gummi.I love the detritus of ice carvers:  snow & shards of ice.
An artisan and his tool…I feel like a giant snowflake carved out of ice is sort of belaboring the point, but I guess I’ll let this slide.
Zhongyang St. debouched on the Songhua River at sunset with people frolicking on the frozen ice.  A fitting end to a beautiful (if frigid) day.But then I ran across this Vegas-worthy castle hotel with a gondola lift in its belly.  (Yes, the hotel has a twin on the other side of the river.)
Further up the river on my walk back to my hotel, I was impressed by the juxtaposition of classical art (a bronze statue of a man defeating a dragon) with ice art (a rainbow-colored archway.)