China's 'snow city' wows visitors with elaborately-designed ice sculptures

An iconic snow sculpture park opened on Saturday in China, wowing visitors for the 19th year in a row with intricately designed ice attractions.

Covering an area of 60,000 square meters, the fairytale land in the Mudanjiang Snow Castle Park was built using 22,000 cubic metres of snow.

The impressive ice sculptures have become a fixture in China's 'snow city'. Credit: AP

The park in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province offered visitors an immersive experience with this year's themes including "Tom and Jerry" and "Last Night," as part of the effort to promote the integration of culture and tourism.

The snow castle park has become an iconic fixture of Mudanjiang City - which is called the "snow city" - since 2001, attracting tourists from home and abroad every year.

The average temperature in Mudanjiang in December is between -8C (17.6F) and -11C (12.2F).

The park offered an immersive experience. Credit: AP

"It is my first time to Mudanjiang.

"I heard about the ice sculptures so I came for a visit.

"This is the first time that I've seen such a giant and beautiful snow sculpture," said Jin Lan, a tourist from southwest China's Guizhou Province.

"The Snow castle park is a lot fun and very beautiful," said Ward Josh, an American tourist.