Local government officials in northeastern China this week debunked viral images appearing to show an enormous aircraft carrier sculpted out of ice.
A government spokesperson in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province on the border with Russia, said the set of hyperrealistic pictures were generated by artificial intelligence, although it was unclear where they originated.
The ice warship resembling the People's Liberation Army Navy's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, gained widespread attention on Tuesday after the images emerged on Weibo, China's X-like microblogging website.
Chinese social media users did not immediately doubt their authenticity because of Harbin hosts an annual snow and ice festival, which features large-scale sculptures of buildings and other objects. Authorities were forced to issue a clarification after residents dialed a government hotline.
The progress of China's navy has a huge following inside the country. Its third aircraft carrier, the recently launched Fujian, is the second to be built by Chinese engineers. The advanced warship is nearing its maiden sea trials.
China now has the biggest navy in the world by hull count and is putting boats to sea faster than any other country in the world thanks to impressive commercial and defense shipbuilding industry.
That viral pictures claimed the giant ice replica of the Liaoning was sculpted on the banks of the Songhua River as part of the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, which runs from December 2023 through March 2024.
The realistic images on Weibo showed visitors standing on the ship's flight deck, which included the iconic Soviet-designed ski jump for launching carrier-based aircraft, and even appeared to show more people queuing to get on board.
They were shared by a popular military blogger, who himself suspected that the images were AI-generated.
The Harbin government spokesperson confirmed the pictures were fake and said organizers at the annual festival "did not build an ice aircraft carrier."
Harbin, a popular winter holiday destination, has seen top universities including the Harbin Institute of Technology and Harbin Engineering University attempt ice and snow versions of aircraft carriers in the past, although on a much smaller scale.
In 2021, a team of 19 people spent nearly three weeks sculpting an ice model of the Liaoning inside Harbin's Stalin Park. The artwork measured 160 feet long and 30 feet wide.
China's aircraft carrier craze has presented itself in other forms, too. The state-owned China Daily newspaper said recently that students from Harbin Engineering University drew various ships, including China's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, on a snow-covered field in the field.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aadil Brar is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers international security, U.S.-China relations, and East Asian ... Read more
