Xinhua Headlines: Harbin extravaganza boosts China's ice-and-snow economy

HARBIN, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The International Ice and Snow Festival kicked off Friday evening in Harbin, capital city of China's northernmost Heilongjiang Province, adding steam to the country's burgeoning ice-and-snow economy.

Dubbed China's "ice city," the outdoor temperature in Heilongjiang falls to below minus 20 degrees Celsius in winter.

Harbin Ice-Snow World, built on the northern bank of the Songhu