Hardy workers relish cool job in Heilongjiang

Ice cutters drag ice from the Songhua River. [Photo by Zhou Huiying / China Daily]

After cutting, a worker uses an iron rod to make the block loose, and four workers attach it to hooks and then use a towline to lift the slab onto the bank.

"Each block weighs about 400 kg. So it is important to save energy by pulling them onto the bank the right way," Wang said. "It's so lucky that my team members can cooperate with each other so well."

At last, the ice is taken to the buyer's truck.

They sell the blocks for 5 yuan (80 US cents) per cubic meter, and the team can get 400 to 500 cubic meters of ice blocks every day. Each of them can get 250 to 300 yuan a day.

"Some villagers do odd jobs in Harbin or in the surrounding area when winter comes," Wang said. "But as far as I know, they earn less than 3,000 yuan a month."

However, he said, "the ice-cutting job can provide me more than 4,000 yuan after only half a month's work," he said.

Wang and his family farm a half-hectare plot in his village, which bring them about 10,000 yuan a year.

"I hope I can make better life for my family with some extra income through my hard work." Wang told China Daily.

Standing on the frozen Songhua River, the nippy river wind can easily blow through people's cotton-padded jackets or even through down jackets.

To protect themselves from cold, they all wear thick jackets and waterproof boots.

"However, after a whole day's work, the jackets and boots get wet with sweat and ice-cold," Wang said.

This year, the 16th Harbin Ice and Snow World festival, which opened for trial operation on Dec 22, needed about 180,000 cubic meters if ice.

The intense schedule poses a special challenge to workers like Wang.

"Every day, we spend only 20 minutes to have lunch in the minivan," Wang said. "Usually we bring some pancakes, sausages and instant noodles from home. It saves both time and money."

"To keep yourself safe is of prime importance for this job," Wang always tells his partners.

"First, don't go to the middle of the river because torrential water under the thin ice is dangerous. And the worker with the saw must cut right to ensure the safety of himself and the other workers," he said.

But he also said he has never heard of any accident over the past eight years.

"Everybody knows the importance of being safe, and there are also some safety officers patrolling around the work zone," Wang told China Daily.

Wang told China Daily that he can't afford the 300-yuan ticket to enter the theme park where the ice that he and his team gathers is carved into elegant structures.

"Last year I had a chance to enter the park with the truck loading the ice blocks," said Wang, "It wasn't finished yet, but the spectacular scenes shocked me. I hope I can bring my little daughter to have fun in the park, but 300 yuan per ticket is really expensive for me."