Men lift weights in Stalin Park, a popular place among the elderly, in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China, February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter 

Pensioner Sunny Wang plays with her grandchild, in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China, February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter 

A woman and a child pose for pictures in front of Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China, February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter 

People walk with children in a pedestrian street in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China, February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter 

A man exercises on the horizontal bar in Stalin Park, a popular place among the elderly, in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China, February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Men exercise in Stalin Park, a popular place among the elderly, in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China, February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter 

Children feed pigeons in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China, February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter 

A family stands in front of Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China, February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter 

People dance to warm up before jogging in Stalin Park, a popular place among the elderly, in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China, February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter 

Members of China's Blue Sky Rescue (BSR) emergency service march in Harbin airport to board a flight to Turkey in order to assist in rescue efforts after a deadly earthquake, Heilongjiang province, China, February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter 

A man bench presses in Stalin Park, a popular place among the elderly, in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China, February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter 

For more than 300 "ice miners" in Harbin, work begins in the numbing cold before dawn every day on the frozen Songhua, a broad river that winds its way through the northeastern Chinese city. Wielding long ice picks, the workers break up the frozen surface of the kilometre-wide river into crate-sized blocks of ice. Many of them construction labourers or farmers, they wear knee-high rubber boots, down jackets, thick gloves and hats with flaps to protect their ears from the frigid air. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Workers on scaffolding build an ice structure at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival before its opening in Harbin, China, December 16, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

A worker uses water to bond blocks of ice while building an ice structure at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, before its opening in Harbin, China, December 17, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Workers build an ice structure at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, before its opening in Harbin, China, December 17, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Workers place an ice block onto an ice structure at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival before its opening in Harbin, China, December 16, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Workers smoke, while constructing ice structures at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival before its opening in Harbin, China, December 18, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Workers eat lunch inside a food stall's makeshift plastic tent, outside the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, before its opening in Harbin, China, December 17, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

A worker stands on a block of ice block while breaking it into smaller pieces to be used at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, at the frozen Songhua River in Harbin, China December 16, 2020. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Workers prepare a giant Buddha snow sculpture at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival before its opening in Harbin, China, December 18, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Workers build ice structures at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival before its opening in Harbin, China, December 18, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Workers build ice structures at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival before its opening in Harbin, China, December 17, 2020. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Trucks line up before being loaded with blocks of ice, to be used at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, by the bank of the frozen Songhua River in Harbin, China, December 17, 2020. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

A worker carries a chainsaw while constructing an ice structure at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival before its opening in Harbin, China, December 18, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

A worker holds his chainsaw as he poses for a photograph, while constructing ice structures at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival before its opening in Harbin, China, December 16, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

A worker carries a tool called a gaff at the frozen Songhua River while extracting blocks of ice ahead of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, China, December 18, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

A worker carries a block of ice while building an ice structure at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival before its opening in Harbin, China, December 16, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Workers build ice structures at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival before its opening in Harbin, China, December 16, 2020. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

A worker uses a hand tool to shave a block of ice while building ice structures at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival before its opening in Harbin, China, December 16, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

A worker uses a chainsaw to carve a block of ice, while constructing ice structures at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival before its opening in Harbin, China, December 16, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

A worker looks at construction plans at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival before its opening in Harbin, China, December 16, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Workers wait to be served lunch at a food stall selling dumplings and buns outside the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, before its opening in Harbin, China, December 17, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

A worker posses for a photograph outside the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, before its opening in Harbin, China, December 17, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

A worker carries a bowl of noodles inside a food stall's makeshift plastic tent, outside the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, before its opening in Harbin, China, December 17, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Workers build ice structures at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival before its opening in Harbin, China, December 16, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

A worker places a strip of light into blocks of ice while constructing ice structures at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival before its opening in Harbin, China, December 18, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Workers build ice structures at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival before its opening in Harbin, China, December 17, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Workers build ice structures at the site of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival before its opening in Harbin, China, December 18, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Workers use ice picks to break up blocks of ice to be used at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, at the frozen Songhua River in Harbin, China, December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

A truck driver sits in his cab as blocks of ice to be used for the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival are loaded onto his truck, before being transported to the site of the festival from the frozen Songhua river in Harbin, China, December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

A worker uses a forklift to load blocks of ice to be used for the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, onto a truck transporting them to the site of the festival, by the bank of the frozen Songhua River, in Harbin, China, December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

A worker checks a kettle while working by the bank of the frozen Songhua River, before the opening of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, in Harbin, China, December 16, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

For more than 300 "ice miners" in Harbin, work begins in the numbing cold before dawn every day on the frozen Songhua, a broad river that winds its way through the northeastern Chinese city. Wielding long ice picks, the workers break up the frozen surface of the kilometre-wide river into crate-sized blocks of ice. Many of them construction labourers or farmers, they wear knee-high rubber boots, down jackets, thick gloves and hats with flaps to protect their ears from the frigid air. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Workers use ice picks to break up blocks of ice to be used at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, at the frozen Songhua River in Harbin, China, December 16, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "HARBIN RAWLINS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES 

Detroit resident Rodrick Harbin is seen after being tested for free for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Sheffield Center in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., April 28, 2020. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook 

Members of a medical expert team, who arrived from the Chinese city of Harbin to help local specialists in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, pose for a picture before entering a hospital for patients infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva 

Airport workers in protective suits help a traveler look for her luggage at an airport in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province bordering Russia, as the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in the country, China April 11, 2020. REUTERS/Huizhong Wu 

Passengers wearing face masks push luggage carts at an airport in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province bordering Russia, as the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in the country, China April 11, 2020. REUTERS/Huizhong Wu 

Workers in protective suits are seen at a registration point for passengers at an airport in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province bordering Russia, following the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in the country, China April 11, 2020. REUTERS/Huizhong Wu 

Police officers in protective suits are seen at an airport in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province bordering Russia, following the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in the country, China April 11, 2020. REUTERS/Huizhong Wu 

People visit ice sculptures on the opening day of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China January 5, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song 

People visit a snow sculpture on the opening day of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China January 5, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song 

People visit a snow sculpture on the opening day of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China January 5, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song 

People visit ice sculptures on the opening day of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China January 5, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song 

People visit ice sculptures on the opening day of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China January 5, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song 

Fireworks light up the sky behind ice sculptures on the opening day of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China January 5, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song 

Fireworks light up the sky behind ice sculptures on the opening day of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China January 5, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song 

Fireworks light up the sky behind ice sculptures on the opening day of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China January 5, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song