Harbin: How this ice city in China is transformed into a spectacular winter wonderland

Every winter, the bitterly cold Chinese city of Harbin creates a kingdom of ice and snow.

For ITV's On Assignment, which returns for a new series on Monday, ITV News Asia Correspondent Debi Edward visited Harbin to follow the impressive construction of one of the world’s biggest and most spectacular ice and snow sculpture festivals.

Sculptures are built from tens of thousands of ice blocks carved out from the frozen River Songhua.

The annual festival usually attracts big crowds from across China and further afield, but Covid restrictions meant limits on crowds this year. And the festival has just had to close its doors for a few weeks due to a local outbreak. 

Watch Debi's full report in the new series of On Assignment, which begins on ITV at 10.45 on Monday 25 January. Also on this week's programme: On Assignment is in Puerto Rico looking at their recent vote to become the 51st state of America, plus a report from Nazare in Portugal, home to the biggest waves in the world.