San Agustin Church in Intramuros featured in China snow festival

The Philippines’ San Agustin Church and other Asean landmarks are featured in the Ice and Snow Festival in the city of Harbin in Heilongjiang province, China, which opened in December 2024 and will run until February 2025. (Photo from the Philippine Embassy in China)

MANILA, Philippines — An ice sculpture of the Philippines’ iconic San Agustin Church was among the main attractions at the International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, the capital city of China’s northernmost province, Heilongjiang.

The festival attracted more than a million visitors since it opened in December 2024 as it featured other landmarks in Asia. The Ice and Snow Festival will run until February 2025.

Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime A. FlorCruz said the inclusion of San Agustin Church in the annual festival is a tribute to the Philippines’ distinctive architectural heritage.

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He visited Harbin with other Asean envoys to China and toured the Ice and Snow Festival as part of a familiarization trip organized by the Asean-China Center (ACC).

“This helps introduce Asean countries like ours to the curious Chinese audiences and it’s a massive number, considering the festival’s ability to draw a large crowd,” FlorCruz said in a statement on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

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The baroque San Agustin Church, located in Intramuros, Manila, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Also on display at the sprawling Harbin Ice and Snow Park were ice sculptures of Brunei’s Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, Cambodia’s Bayon Temple, and Indonesia’s Borobudur Temple.

Visitors may also see ice sculptures of Laos’ Pha That Luang Vientiane Temple, Malaysia’s Petronas Twin Towers, Myanmar’s Shwedagon Pagoda, Singapore’s Merlion, Thailand’s Grand Template, and Vietnam’s Khue Van Pavillon.

The trip of Asean ambassadors to Heilongjiang likewise included visits to food processing and production, manufacturing and aerospace technology industries in the province in a bid to bolster cooperation among countries.