The 28th Harbin Ice and Snow Festival held its grand opening ceremony at the Harbin Convention and Exhibition Center in the capital city of Heilongjiang province on January 5.

The audience enjoyed a spectacular show by Chinese and Russian performers at the opening ceremony.

As Harbin is very close to Russia, the winter event is also a key part of China's "2012 tourism year of Russia", a campaign run by China and Russia to promote tourism. In return, Russia will host a "tourism year of China" in 2013.

During the snow festival, top class ice and snow artwork will be exhibited. Film festivals and group wedding ceremonies will also be held on ice.