I had not pre-arranged a visa to enter China so I took a JAL flight from Alaska (my home) to Tokyo, then to Hong Kong. In Hong Kong it is a simple process to buy a 30-day visa for about $10.

It is possible, with a bit of comparison shopping, to find a travel agency that will sell you a ticket as I've described for about $650 round trip. I bought mine through All Asia Travel in the Son Francisco Bay area. While in HK I stayed at the YMCA on the Kowloon side. After a couple of days I flew to Shanghai on Cathay Pacific, the H K-based airline. I knew no one in Shanghai but on arrival had a serendipitous encounter with an English-speaking Chinese man.

He had just purchased a new motorcycle and was unsure how to operate it smoothly. In exchange for driving lessons and safety lectures (I have rolled up over 100,000 miles on twowheelers over the years) he played tour guide and interpreten

For a week I saw Shanghai, a city of 12 million, from the back of his motorcycle. We visited small bock-alley religious shrines and the huge glassand-mirror international hotels before he deposited me at the train station.

My arrival in Harbin was planned to coincide with the opening of the first International Ice Sculpture Contest. Ice carving was originally limited to small, delicate lanterns illuminated by candles and placed outside homes to welcome the Chinese New Year.

Today it has grown far beyond its simple beginnings. Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Canada and Japan have sent teams to compete, Harbin ice carvers have gone to Europe and Wisconsin to demonstrate their skills.

The nearby Songhua River provides clear ice in unlimited supply. Because the river is swift-flowing, ice quarried from its surface is almost flawless. It reminds me of giant slabs of quartz crystal.

Over the years a variety of electric saws and grinders have been designed to shape and plane the ungainly blocks of ice. Once the structures are erect, the finishing touches are applied by hand with modified tools originally designed for wood and metal.

COPYRIGHT 1988 Point Foundation
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group