Icy elegance: People visiting the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China. — Bloomberg
“It doesn’t snow in Thailand, but you can carve it so well,” Sudakan Jardkaew, an 18-year-old college student, joyfully said, recalling a memorable moment when Chinese visitors came up to compliment her team’s snow sculpture at a contest in Harbin this month.
Sudakan and her three classmates won the first prize at the 16th international snow sculpture competition for college students, escaping the tropical heat of Bangkok and defying northeastern China’s freezing cold winter.
They were among the 57 teams from different countries and regions that participated in the annual event, which was hosted by Harbin Engineering University and Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival.
The winning sculpture, titled “Tuk Tuk on Tour”, featured an iconic autorickshaw carrying various characters related to Thai culture and traditions, representing elements from various regions of the country on four sides of the snow art, Sudakan said.
The team was running a tight schedule with only three weeks to prepare for the competition.
Despite having no prior experience with snow carving, the team beat the odds by practising with clay, cement and ice cubes.
“We agreed that we didn’t expect to win, but we wanted to give it our all so that we wouldn’t regret it later,” Sudakan said.
Araya Chaichuwong, the college’s deputy director, said the participation in the contest was driven by a desire to provide students with an inspiring experience.
He added that the cultural exchange was seen not only as an investment in students’ development but also as a source of pride for the educational institution and the country. — Xinhua
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