A forklift truck is being used in connection with the unfinished sculpture.

On December 19, at the West Ski Resort in Urumqi, Xinjiang, sculptors are working on a huge snow figure depicting a well-known legendary character connected to the Uygur ethnic group in NW China.

The snow character stands 10 meters high, 50 meters in length and 6 meters in width. It is the largest sculpture of its kind created during this winter tourist season in Xinjiang. Sixty people have been working on this huge sculpture for 15 days, using 3,000 cubic meters of snow, according to insiders from the ski resort.

The West Ski Resort is the main showplace of the 2007 Silk Road Ice and Snow Festival. It will spend more than 2.5 million yuan (US$339,370) on 260 ice and snow sculptures.

On December 19, sculptors are working on the snow figure at the ski resort.

On December 19, sculptors are working on the snow figure at the ski resort.

Tourists are watching the work in progress of the sculpture.

(China.org.cn December 20, 2007)