Massive snow plane sculpture attracts attention in NE China

73-year-old Chinese veteran Hao Jijiu spends 10 days crafting a snow sculpture after a blizzard in his yard in Beitu village of Wuchang city, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. /China Daily Photo

Recently, not only residents in a village in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province but also a wide range of Chinese netizens may have noticed an additional spectacle to a yard in the residential area this past week: a massive snow plane sculpture.

This intricate snow airplane was the creation of Hao Jijiu, a 73-year-old Chinese veteran and now a farmer in Beitu village of Wuchang city, Heilongjiang Province, after a blizzard in the region. The sculpture, measuring 12 meters long and one meter high, took Hao 10 days to finish.

Despite the main body built by the snow, according to Hao, there is something unusual about the sculpture, including the wings made of plywood wrapped with colored drapery, the ramp made from remnants of previous materials for house-building as well as the windows made of foam boards.

The video of the massive sculpture shot and published by the son of Hao Jijiu goes viral on Chinese social media platforms including the short video app Douyin. /Screenshot of Douyin

Four years before the skilled man retired from the Chinese army in 1973, he was a former engineer specifically trained to design and build military structures, which equipped him with the know-how in terms of armament construction.

Although he became a farmer afterwards, he never chucked his interest as well as the dexterity. Recent years have seen assorted snow sculptures created by him, ranging from cars to military vehicles such as tanks and rockets.

Hao Jijiu joined the army as an engineer in 1969 and spent four years there, maturing his know-how of armament construction. /my399.com

After the first heavy snowfall this year, Hao decided to craft a snow airplane at the request of his three grandchildren. Starting from late November, he spent six to seven hours every day designing and making the sculpture with his wife, who helped pile up snow. To accomplish the project, Hao had to prepare two padded coats in advance so that he could change when he worked up a sweat. Ten days after, the massive sculpture made its debut on December 1, 2020.

Nevertheless, the 73-year-old veteran's attempt at snow sculpture creation is far from over. "I am planning to craft a new snow sculpture that measures about 15 meters long and nine meters wide based on the prototype of China's aircraft carrier Liaoning," said Hao when asked about the new piece on his agenda.