A famous ice festival in China is the latest victim of rising global temperatures. Every winter tens of thousands of tourists go to Harbin, in the far north east of China, to see the city's ice sculptures. But with higher temperatures, the sculptures are starting to melt. This report from Michael Bristow:

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But, there's a problem - winters just aren't as cold as they used to be. Last year, Harbin had its warmest year since records began. And that means the city's famous ice sculptures are melting earlier.

The ice festival traditionally lasts until the end of February. But this year, there are fears the ice will have melted long before then. And this is not just a worry for environmentalists. Harbin's ice festival is the city's biggest source of income. If the ice goes, so do the tourists.

Michael Bristow, BBC News, Beijing

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temperatures can drop as low as
the weather can be very cold

harsh
severe or very cold

has turned itself into
the people and businesses of the city have made it become

tourist destination
a place where travellers and holiday makers want to go to visit

ice sculptures
statues that are not permanent because they are made of ice (rather than stone)

intricate sculptures
statues that have a lot of small, complicated details, carvings or markings

since records began
from the time that people first started to keep information (about weather temperatures) for future reference, by writing it down or storing it on a computer

melting
changing from ice to water (when heat is applied to the ice)

environmentalists
people who try to protect the world from being damaged by human activities

income
money from doing work or having a business (here, money from tourists during the ice festival)

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