China
Latest Stories

ICE_2339
Artisan ice sculptors from Harbin, China use ice picks to move large blocks of ice into place as they work to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE! show in Oxon Hill, Md, Thursday, November 9, 2011. 40 men from Harbin, China return here to create a frozen wonderland, complete with an ice slide and characters from the movie. These men are a part of the team which creates the famous Harbin Ice Festival in Harbin, China every year. Some of the sculptures are comprised of colored ice blocks, yielding brilliant tones and deep hues for highlights and accents. Others are illuminated internally by some of the exhibit's 1,400 specially designed LED tube lights, evoking the ice lanterns of old. Others are engineered to support the presence of thousands of visitors over the exhibit's lifespan. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

ICE_2338
Liu Dong Bin, 48, is one of the men from Harbin, China, the artisan ice sculptors who came to the United States to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE! show in National Harbor, Md, Thursday, November 9, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

ICE_2337
Using a custom hand made tool, an artisan ice sculptor from Harbin, China works with others from his team to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE! show in Oxon Hill, Md, Thursday, November 9, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

ICE_2336
An artisan ice sculptor from Harbin, China carries a heavy block of crystal clear ice as he joins others on his team, working on the huge ice slide, and as others work to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE! show in Oxon Hill, Md, Thursday, November 9, 2011. 40 men from Harbin, China return here to create a frozen wonderland, complete with an ice slide and characters from the movie. These men are a part of the team which creates the famous Harbin Ice Festival in Harbin, China every year. Some of the sculptures are comprised of colored ice blocks, yielding brilliant tones and deep hues for highlights and accents. Others are illuminated internally by some of the exhibit's 1,400 specially designed LED tube lights, evoking the ice lanterns of old. Others are engineered to support the presence of thousands of visitors over the exhibit's lifespan. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

ICE_2335
Zhang Hong Bin, 58, is one of the men from Harbin, China, the artisan ice sculptors who came to the United States to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE! show in National Harbor, Md, Thursday, November 9, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

ICE_2334
Artisan ice sculptors from Harbin, China work on heavy blocks of crystal clear ice as they work on the huge ice slide, and as others on their team work to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE! show in Oxon Hill, Md, Thursday, November 9, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

ICE_2333
Artisan ice sculptors from Harbin, China work to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE! show in Oxon Hill, Md, Thursday, November 9, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

ICE_2332
Xu Shi You,41, is one of the men from Harbin, China, the artisan ice sculptors who came to the United States to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE! show in National Harbor, Md, Thursday, November 9, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

ICE_2331
A lion character from the movie Madagascar is made entirely of ice, as artisan ice sculptors from Harbin, China work to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE! show in Oxon Hill, Md, Thursday, November 9, 2011. 40 men from Harbin, China return here to create a frozen wonderland, complete with an ice slide and characters from the movie. These men are a part of the team which creates the famous Harbin Ice Festival in Harbin, China every year. Some of the sculptures are comprised of colored ice blocks, yielding brilliant tones and deep hues for highlights and accents. Others are illuminated internally by some of the exhibit's 1,400 specially designed LED tube lights, evoking the ice lanterns of old. Others are engineered to support the presence of thousands of visitors over the exhibit's lifespan. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

ICE_2330
Using a chainsaw to split large blocks of green colored ice, an artisan ice sculptor from Harbin, China works with others from his team to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE! show in Oxon Hill, Md, Thursday, November 9, 2011. 40 men from Harbin, China return here to create a frozen wonderland, complete with an ice slide and characters from the movie. These men are a part of the team which creates the famous Harbin Ice Festival in Harbin, China every year. Some of the sculptures are comprised of colored ice blocks, yielding brilliant tones and deep hues for highlights and accents. Others are illuminated internally by some of the exhibit's 1,400 specially designed LED tube lights, evoking the ice lanterns of old. Others are engineered to support the presence of thousands of visitors over the exhibit's lifespan. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

ICE_2329
Gao Zhi Gang, 29, is one of the men from Harbin, China, the artisan ice sculptors who came to the United States to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

ICE_2328
An artisan ice sculptor from Harbin, China uses a mixture of shaved ice and water to create a kind of frozen paste to attach blocks of ice together as he works on creating a wreath using blocks of green ice as he and others from his team work to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE! show in Oxon Hill, Md, Thursday, November 9, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

ICE_2327
Wu Qiang, 32, is one of the men from Harbin, China, the artisan ice sculptors who came to the United States to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE! show in National Harbor, Md, Thursday, November 9, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

ICE_2326
Using a chainsaw to split large blocks of green colored ice, an artisan ice sculptor from Harbin, China works with others from his team to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE! show in Oxon Hill, Md, Thursday, November 9, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

ICE_2325
Artisan ice sculptors from Harbin, China work on the huge ice slide as they work to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE! show in Oxon Hill, Md, Thursday, November 9, 2011. 40 men from Harbin, China return here to create a frozen wonderland, complete with an ice slide and characters from the movie. These men are a part of the team which creates the famous Harbin Ice Festival in Harbin, China every year. Some of the sculptures are comprised of colored ice blocks, yielding brilliant tones and deep hues for highlights and accents. Others are illuminated internally by some of the exhibit's 1,400 specially designed LED tube lights, evoking the ice lanterns of old. Others are engineered to support the presence of thousands of visitors over the exhibit's lifespan. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

ICE_2324
An artisan ice sculptor from Harbin, China works on creating a wreath using blocks of green ice as he and others from his team work to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE! show in Oxon Hill, Md, Thursday, November 9, 2011. 40 men from Harbin, China return here to create a frozen wonderland, complete with an ice slide and characters from the movie. These men are a part of the team which creates the famous Harbin Ice Festival in Harbin, China every year. Some of the sculptures are comprised of colored ice blocks, yielding brilliant tones and deep hues for highlights and accents. Others are illuminated internally by some of the exhibit's 1,400 specially designed LED tube lights, evoking the ice lanterns of old. Others are engineered to support the presence of thousands of visitors over the exhibit's lifespan. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

ICE_2323
Gu Ji Bin, 62, is one of the men from Harbin, China, the artisan ice sculptors who came to the United States to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE! show in National Harbor, Md, Thursday, November 9, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

ICE_2322
An artisan ice sculptor from Harbin, China works on a wall of crystal clear ice as he and others work on the huge ice slide, and as others on their team work to create colorful scenes from the DreamWorks' production of "Merry Madagascar" for this years ICE! show in Oxon Hill, Md, Thursday, November 9, 2011. (Rod Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

20111113-215718-pic-73481476.jpg
Chinese President Hu Jintao appeared unmoved by President Obama's efforts to have China's monetary policy loosened, saying yuan exchange rates are not to blame for the U.S. trade deficit and weak job market.

20111113-185822-pic-477249947.jpg
Chinese President Hu Jintao appeared unmoved by President Obama's efforts to have China's monetary policy loosened, saying yuan exchange rates are not to blame for the U.S. trade deficit and weak job market, according to the Xinhua News Agency. (Associated Press)