See the most chill sculptures you’ll ever encounter in the U.S. But view them soon because they won’t last
Each year, artisans turn Harbin, China, into a wintery wonderland created from huge blocks of ice carved into life-size landmarks, buildings and fairy-tale images.
But you need not travel to that ouch-it’s-cold city in northeast China to enjoy the magic. You can see artists create the amazing sculptures in “Ice!” an annual holiday attraction at Gaylord hotels in Nashville, National Harbor, Md. (just outside of Washington, D.C.), Kissimmee, Fla., and Grapevine, Texas (about 23 miles northwest of Dallas).
The shows run through Jan. 1. They have already opened in Nashville and Texas; the Florida show is to open Friday and the Maryland show on Saturday.
Teams of 40 on-site artisans turn more than 2 million pounds of colorful ice blocks into two-story ice slides and other holiday-themed creations.
“With language differences, we cannot communicate, but we trust and respect each other because of the art,” said Zhang Daquan, one of the Chinese art directors for “Ice!” using an interpreter.
“The artisans and our U.S. colleagues all have the same goal — to make the sculptures beautiful so guests will enjoy the show.”
Artisans arrive a month before the shows open to begin work on the pieces, designed in cooperation with U.S. artists.
“When everyone first arrives, Gaylord hosts a Chinese banquet dinner,” said Logan Caldwell, associate producer for “Ice!” in Nashville. “Eating and drinking together is a big thing and brings us together as a family during their stay.”
Artisans are housed at the Inn at Opryland across the street from the show, and two full-time chefs cook Chinese meals for the crew. Hotel personnel occasionally volunteer to take the Chinese visitors around town, and this year a boat trip is planned on a nearby lake.
Zhang, who first came to the United States in 2011, has worked at each of the Gaylord property shows. This year he was assigned to the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, about 20 miles south of Orlando.
In his off hours, he enjoys sightseeing to learn more about the cities he’s visiting.
His favorite place? Disney World, he said, smiling. “They have very exciting, fast rides,” he added.
Traveling to the United States is old hat now to the Harbin native, who has been creating ice sculptures for 33 years. Zhang, a former carpenter, said the artisans in his hometown are mostly self-taught.
“The government decided to revive this kind of art in the 1980s,” Zhang said. “So we researched and tried things, little by little. It took a long time to learn how to carve and make things big.”
Through trial and error, the artisans discovered how to make larger sculptures and maintain their structures, using clear river ice, which he said has “better clarity than factory-made ice.”
Experiments began with colored ice about a decade ago. The hues added an extra dimension to the art form.
But the works of art don’t last. “Unlike a display that you can see forever, you look at an ice sculpture, and it starts to melt,” Zhang said. “So it’s very special.”
Info: “Ice!” (www.lat.ms/seetheice) Ticket prices vary by site and time.
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