In allegedly warm Harbin: China builds "world's largest" ice Santa

HARBIN, China - China's freezing northern city of Harbin is building what organizers say is the world's largest Santa Claus ice sculpture.

The giant Father Christmas, 160 meters (525 ft) long and 24 meters high, centers on an enormous face of Father Christmas, complete with flowing beard and hat.

Its huge size and unseasonably warm temperatures have made the job especially challenging, said Tang Guangjun, one of the sculptors.

"It is even bigger and higher than last year's, and more difficult. The weather swings between warm and cold, so it becomes very wet and slippery on the ice. It is very dangerous for us," he told Reuters Television.

Note that in the pictures at the link above, the people are dressed for cold weather and the sculptures show no sign of melting.

Note also that Weather Underground shows that Harbin high temperatures haven't reached 30F for nearly two weeks.