HARBIN, CHINA.-The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival opens today. The event, which is the first regional festival themed on ice and snow in China, has been held for more than 20 years. Harbin is the capital city of China's northernmost province, Heilongjiang. It is known as a Paradise of Ice and Snow and is famous for its dazzling outdoor winter artwork. The art of ice-and-snow sculpture made its debut in Harbin thirty years ago, thanks to the intelligence of artists and their efforts to add color to the lives of the local residents by taking advantage of the northern winter weather.