Crystal clear ice, flowing skirts, beautiful and dignified beauty, this beautiful ice sculpture looks cold and beautiful during the day, and is bright and moving after lighting up at night, this beautiful ice sculpture is carved by 25-year-old Xu Haonan Dunhuang charm, and he also won the gold medal of the 2024 Guangsha Cup National Ice Sculpture Competition. Whether it is in Zhaolin Park in Harbin, or in Linda Foreign Language City, or on campus, Xu Haonan's works can be seen. Because of his love for ice lanterns since childhood, Xu Haonan has insisted on self-study and self-practice, until he went to university, he participated in one competition after another through the teacher's systematic training and learning, and in the past 7 years, he has won the National Professional Group Ice Sculpture Competition Award, the International College Student Snow Sculpture Competition Gold Award and other honors. Recently, the reporter interviewed Xu Haonan and listened to him tell the story of himself and ice and snow.
The person wearing dark clothes is Xu Haonan.
Grandpa's ice lantern is the most beautiful.
The first ice lantern I ever saw was made by my grandfather. Speaking of his initial love for ice and snow, Xu Haonan couldn't help but tell reporters about when he was a child, a small bucket, frozen with a few pieces of colored paper, and tied to a wooden stick with a rope, which was Xu Haonan's earliest understanding of ice lanterns. "My father died early, when I was a child, the family conditions were not good, I remember when I was six or seven years old, it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, everyone carried lanterns, I also wanted it very much, my grandfather found a way to freeze an ice lamp with a bucket for me, I liked it very much, and I still remember what it looked like. Xu Haonan said, looking at the crystal clear ice, under the skillful hands of his grandfather, it became an ice lantern that other children couldn't buy if they wanted to, and at that moment he felt that the ice lantern in his hand was the most beautiful, and he was the happiest.
As a child, Xu Haonan's family lived near the Songhua River, and he often saw workers collecting ice in the Songhua River, which left a deep impression on him, and the ice sculptures also took shape in his memory. "I actually saw the ice sculpture because my mother took me to an indoor ice lantern pavilion to see it, and the first time I took a picture with the ice sculpture, I was shocked that there was such a beautiful thing in this world. Xu Haonan's childhood experiences made him full of yearning for ice sculptures, and his desire to make ice sculptures by himself was even stronger.
Seven years of experience in the industry awards and injuries coexist.
Before Xu Haonan went to university, he studied ice carving skills by himself, until he went to university and began formal study, "I listened to a lecture by a teacher at our school when I was in college, so I decided to study systematically. After studying for a while, I participated in the Sun Island Collegiate Ice Sculpture Competition and got good results. Xu Haonan is only 25 years old now, but he has 7 years of experience, participated in many competitions, and won many honors. Over the years, he has won the gold medal of the Guangsha Cup National Ice Sculpture Competition, the Outstanding Work Award of the National Professional Group Ice Sculpture Competition, the Silver Award of the National Snow Sculpture Competition, the Gold Award of the International College Student Snow Sculpture Competition and other honors. But behind the honor, it is Xu Haonan's constant persistence and love.
One of the most dangerous ice sculptures I did was when I fell off a 5-metre-high platform, which was so severe that my mother was very worried about me. Xu Haonan, who suffers from a herniated disc in his lumbar back, has been recuperating for a long time after this injury. Xu Haonan's family did not support him in doing this because they were worried about his health, but he still insisted on carving. "Although my mother does not support me in making ice sculptures, in fact she is very proud of me, and every time I talk to others, she has to say that my son makes ice sculptures, and many ice sculptures in Harbin are made by my son. ”
As long as it is an ice sculpture, there is no body that is not injured, almost everyone has a lumbar muscle strain, and daily bumps and bumps are commonplace. "In Harbin, it is minus 20 or 30 degrees Celsius in winter, and it is difficult to stay outside for a long time even to see ice sculptures, but these ice carvers have to stay outside all day and night to carve, so you can imagine how difficult it is for them to face. "Last winter, we had to take turns carving in order to be able to finish the work on time. "Working through the night, beating the cold and getting stiff hands are a must, and there are a lot of accidents at height, and even the possibility of the ice collapsing and shattering. In the face of various difficulties and challenges, Xu Haonan still said, "On this road of ice sculpture, no matter how difficult it is, I will not give up." ”
*Provided by respondents.
Promoting Harbin's ice and snow culture is his original intention.
Although Xu Haonan is a native of Harbin, his job after graduation is in the south, but every winter he will take a three-month long vacation, just to return to his hometown to make ice and snow sculptures. "I have to juggle life and love, so even if I take a leave of absence, I have to go back to Harbin to do ice sculptures. Ice sculpture is a seasonal event, so I especially cherish the time in winter. ”
As the younger generation of ice carvers, Xu Haonan feels that his responsibility is heavier, "I have always insisted on the cause of ice carving, that is, I want to promote the ice and snow culture of Harbin to all parts of the country, and pass on the ice and snow industry in our hometown, and I feel that it is getting closer and closer to my wish!" This year, Xu Haonan was invited to participate in the Snow Expo, as a teacher, teaching the children in the south to learn to make snow sculptures, explaining to them the history and knowledge of various ice and snow cultures, looking at the southern children who studied seriously, Xu Haonan's heart once again felt the happiness brought to him by ice and snow, "I am happy to see more and more people understand our ice and snow culture and like ice and snow culture!" Now Xu Haonan will also lead the student team to participate in various competitions as a leading teacher, and at the same time will give lectures on ice and snow culture in major colleges and universities, encouraging more and more young people to join the ice and snow culture.
Intern: Song Jia; Reporter: Liu Weina.