Best sculptures of 30th Harbin International Ice and Snow festival

Visitors tour colorful ice structures during the opening ceremony of the Harbin International Ice and Snow festival in Harbin, in northeast China's Heilongjiang province on January 5, 2014. (AP Photo)

This was the 30th snow festival in Harbin where large number of tourists came to see the most unique sculptures made of snow.

Over 7,000 artists and workers in the northern Chinese city of Harbin have been working around the clock putting the finishing touches to the annual Ice Festival grounds.

Thousands of visitors braved temperatures of 27 degrees Celsius ( 17 degrees Fahrenheit) to visit the Ice and Snow World, which features the theme Global Ice and Snow Dream, World Cartoon Tour .

According to the festival's organizer over 180,000 square meters of ice and 150,000 square meters of snow have been used in constructing the winter wonderland.

Now in its 30th year, the Ice Festival features huge sculptures of famous buildings, a gigantic 240 metre long ice slide and even a loving tribute to Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's globe trotting rubber duck.

While much of the U.S. prepares for potentially record breaking cold temperatures this week, the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival has visitors flocking to northeast China to chill out.

The event kicked off Sunday with an ice swimming competition, but the festival really heats up at night when guests stroll past giant ice sculptures illuminated in a winter village.

The festival activities are related to ice snow tourism, trade, physical sports and game, culture of ice lanterns and art of snow sculptures... to meet various needs of winter holiday leisure.

Visitors click pictures to keep their visit this unique global festival.