Workers use an electric saw to cut ice into blocks measuring two meters by two meters on the frozen Nanhu Lake in Changchun, Jilin province on Dec 27. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Workers in Nanhu Park, Changchun city of Northeast China's Jilin province, have been working in bitter coldness, with temperatures reaching as low as minus 20 degrees centigrade, on the frozen Nanhu Lake for nearly 20 days.

The ice bricks they collect are used as raw material for one of the biggest winter galas in the city – the 2019 Nanhu Ice and Show Exhibition, which will open for the public during the three-day New Year holiday.

Workers open up a channel in the frozen Nanhu Lake to transport the ice blocks to the river bank. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The annual event attracts visitors from home and abroad every winter. Up to 8,000 cubic meters of snow and 2,000 cubic meters of ice are expected to be used at the event, featuring striking snow and ice sculptures.

Most of the ice blocks taken from the Nanhu Lake will be used in construction for the festival, where buildings of ice will be illuminated by colorful lights.

Workers pull out a block of ice, weighing hundreds of kilograms, from the frozen Nanhu Lake with the help of a crane. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]